Rise and Fall
by pika318
Summary: The Rise and Fall of the Generation of Miracles. A multi-chapter fanfic.
1. First Session

**pika318**: This fic is being written because of the express request of moko-chan because she thinks that she cannot write it out on her own. She's such a slave driver. Basically it is about the Generation of Miracles in Teikou Middle School. This is my first KnB multi-chapter fic, so I hope the pacing would be okay.

**Disclaimer: **I didn't write a disclaimer in my previous fic, ah whatever. Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 1: **First session

* * *

Kogawa smiled and nodded in approval as he walked past the rows of freshmen aspiring to join the Teikou Basketball Club. There were a large number of freshmen here compared to other clubs, which was to be expected, given their strong reputation. As a regular of the team and captain of the club, Kogawa had swore to bring his team to greater heights, and besides their high win percentages, the number of freshmen standing in the gym right now was another proof of his success.

He scanned the large numbers of freshmen, analyzing each one of them with a critical eye, hoping to find a few promising players. Of course, the tryouts later would sort out the talented players from the average ones, but Kogawa loved to examine and pick out any potential candidates, just to see if he would be proven right in the tryouts later. It was like a game to him, spotting talents.

After a while, his attention was caught by the tallest person in the group. That freshman towered head and shoulders above the other students. Kogawa smiled. Height was an ideal trait for a basketball player. Even if this freshman wasn't good at basketball at first, skills can be trained, but height cannot. He had to keep this guy. Even the other freshmen were staring at that freshman in awe of his height…

Or not.

As Kogawa was admiring the freshman's height, that freshman had actually opened a packet of snacks and started eating. For a while, Kogawa stood there, stunned by the fact that this freshman actually had the audacity to snack during club hours. Well, technically they haven't joined the club yet, but that didn't mean that he would be allowed to do that. He glared at the freshman, thinking that he would get the message, but it did not have any effect.

Just then, his vice-captain had decided to take action, walking up to the tall freshman and shouting at him,

"Hey you! You're not supposed to eat in here!"

Then Kogawa saw the most threatening look he ever saw in his life. On the surface, the tall freshman seemed to give his fellow third year a very bored look like he didn't care, but Kogawa could sense the threatening aura underneath. Understandably, his vice-captain hesitated a bit, fearful of the consequences if he insisted.

Kogawa was naturally reluctant to step into such a situation. He still valued his own life after all. However, he was the captain of the team and he needed to set a good example. Letting the freshman off would just invite more trouble later. Just as he moved towards the freshman though, by a lucky streak, the freshman had already finished his snack and it seemed like he was not making a move to take out any more. In the end, his vice-captain told the freshman not to do it anymore and it was left at that.

Kogawa breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like there won't be any trouble for now, so he resumed scanning the crowd. Eventually, his eyes rested on a freshman with dark blue hair. He had a dark skin tone, evidence that he must have spent a lot of time in the sun and Kogawa could clearly see that his muscles were well toned for a 13 year old. This guy had to be a natural sportsman, and mostly likely, had played basketball since he was young. He was definitely someone Kogawa had to look out for in the club. He'll probably end up in the first string and become a regular in his second year if his talents were developed properly.

Satisfied with his analysis, Kogawa continued his game. Then he spotted the last thing he would expect to see in a large group of boys.

A dog plushie.

Kogawa might have overlooked it if it had been a small plushie. But no, that toy was huge and could be the same height as a baby. It was designed based off an Akita puppy and was something that girls would surely like, with its round face, button nose, small ears and soft brown fur. However, the person holding it did not match the toy at all. He had a serious look on his face, and seemed to be the type who does not joke or play around. The spectacles he wore only served to emphasise his serious, no nonsense image. Kogawa also noticed that he wore bandages on his left hand, but from the way the freshman acted, his hand did not seem injured at all. For a while, he contemplated scolding the freshman for bringing such a girly item into the gym, but technically, the freshman wasn't breaking any rules. Kogawa sighed, as long as the freshman didn't bring the toy along during the tryouts, he should just overlook it for now.

As Kogawa finally reached the end of the various rows of freshmen, spotting other promising freshmen as he did so, he noticed that one of them had his head bowed, like he was concentrating on something in his hands. Curious, Kogawa looked down and saw what the freshman was playing with.

A Rubrik's Cube.

Kogawa almost sighed again as he spotted yet another item that did not belong in a basketball club. Who would bring a puzzle to a sports club anyway? That freshman might as well join one of those intellectual clubs out there, like Shogi or something. Kogawa decided to ignore the freshman. If his attitude was like this, he probably wouldn't do very well in the tryouts anyway.

Having gone through all the students, Kogawa was about to return to his assigned station for the tryouts when he heard a girl's voice.

"Excuse me…"

Turning around, he found himself facing a rather cute girl with long pink hair. The girl looked rather nervous and was shifting about uncomfortably. That was when he realized that he was staring as her chest a little too intently. He coughed and forced his gaze upwards.

"How can I help you?" he asked.

"I heard you were looking for a new manager," the girl replied.

"Ah yes, we are. Did you talk to the coach yet?"

"Well, I tried approaching him, but he seems busy…"

Kogawa searched for the coach and found him shouting at the second years to hurry up and set up the stations. More than likely, the girl had been too afraid to approach to coach, especially if he was in his "serious business" mode. He turned to the girl with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry, but with the coach like this, I'm afraid you have to wait till the tryouts are over before you can talk to him. Do you want to come by tomorrow instead?"

"It's okay, I can wait. I need to wait for Dai…I mean my friend to finish his tryouts anyway."

Kogawa nodded knowingly. It made sense for her to want to join the basketball club if she wanted to be with her friend.

"I see. Then why don't you take a seat over there?" Kogawa gestured to the nearby benches, and added, "I hope you brought a book or something, it's going to take quite a while."

The girl smiled and replied in a calm voice.

"I'm fine watching everyone play, but thank you for your concern." The girl replied before walking towards the benches.

Then a whistle sounded, the coach had finished setting up and was about to brief the freshmen on their tryouts. Kogawa hurriedly went to his station.

* * *

After the coach explained the different stations to the freshmen, split them into different groups and sent them to their respective first stations, Kogawa addressed the first group of freshmen approaching his station.

"Good afternoon, my name is Kogawa and I'm the captain of the club. As the coach explained before, each of you would be given 5 chances to shoot, the balls will be given to you by the second years around you." Kogawa gestured to his second years standing at the perimeter of the court and continued,

"You can shoot in any way you're comfortable with and the minimum distance you can shoot from is the two point line. This means that you can shoot from any part of the court outside of the two point line. We would like to see a good distribution of two point and three point shots, but it's totally fine if you can't shoot three pointers too." Kogawa finished his explanation, adding the last part as he smiled to some nervous looking freshmen. They sighed in relief as they heard it and relaxed visibly.

_Good, they won't be able to shoot well if they were so tense._

"Okay then, that's all from me, good luck to all of you." Kogawa said and returned to his seat at the grading table.

Then the tryouts began.

For a while, nothing else was heard except for the bouncing of the balls, the squeaking of the shoes on the court and the occasional shouts of encouragement for the freshmen. Kogawa did his work dutifully, observing the shots of the freshmen, keeping their scores and taking note of their form. To him, it looked like it was going to be just another normal session.

That is, until the freshmen he noticed earlier started to show up.

The first one had been the blue haired, dark skinned freshman. He threw his first four shots quickly, at various angles from the basket. All of them had gone in and normally, Kogawa would have been happy with that, but…

_What was with those non-standard shooting stances?_

Then the answer came to him. This freshman probably played street basketball and taught himself how to shoot instead of going through standard basketball training. It was the only thing that explained his free style shooting.

The freshman seemed to have gained confidence from his first four shots and moved to the three point line. Unfortunately, that shot had missed, hitting the rim of the basket and bouncing off. The freshman smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as one of the second years shouted "Nice try!" when he picked up the ball.

Kogawa looked at the piece of paper he was supposed to write his assessment on. He deciphered the messy scrawl, 'Aomine Daiki' was written on it.

_Aomine Daiki, seems to have lots of raw talent, but needs polishing. Well, it's good enough for me. I'll recommend him for first string._

Kogawa gave him full marks for his two point shots.

After a while, the second one showed up. It was the tall freshman who had been eating earlier. Given his height, Kogawa would have expected him to do well, but…

He only got in two shots out of the five. And it was even from the minimum distance.

Kogawa blinked at the unexpectedly dismal results, and then he heard the freshman speak.

"Can't I just dunk it in?"

The freshman had turned to one of his second years and asked this. The second year student looked stunned for a moment, before he replied in a rather apologetic voice. It looks like the tall freshman had intimidated him a bit.

"No, I'm afraid you have to shoot it in."

"Che. Why do I even have to do this, you were the ones who asked me come here in the first place…"

When Kogawa heard that reply, he almost expected the freshman to make a scene, but luckily, he only left the court to head to his next station, with the same bored expression on his face.

The third one was the freshman who was fiddling with the Rubik's cube. Kogawa didn't notice it before, but now that the freshman was standing by himself in the middle of the court, he noticed this freshman's apparent lack of height. Maybe shooting from the two point line might be too far even for him? And given his interest in intellectual puzzles, he might not even be that athletic.

"…Akashi-kun, right?" Kogawa said as he looked down at the paper he was holding for the freshman's name.

"Yes, what is it?" The freshman Akashi replied.

"For you, it's okay if you want to move closer to the basket to shoot."

There was a pause, and then Kogawa saw Akashi smile.

"That will not be necessary"

What happened next surprised Kogawa. Apparently height didn't affect his shooting ability at all. He scored four two pointers and for his last shot, he moved to the three point line and got that in too. Worse of all, the freshman had turned to him when he was done and showed him an evil smile that would send chills down anyone's spine before going on to the next station.

As Kogawa filled in Akashi Seijiuro's score on his grading sheet, he made a mental note not to insult that freshman, ever.

The fourth person was the one who was holding that stuffed toy earlier. Kogawa noticed with relief that it had been left on the benches some distance away. As the bespectacled freshman took the ball, Kogawa also noticed that the bandages on his left hand were gone. So it hadn't been an injury. Then the freshman walked to three point line and shot,

If Kogawa thought that Akashi had been surprising, the freshman standing in front of him right just caused him to re-adjust his perceptions,

The ball flew in an impossibly high arc and went into the basket. It had flown through the air beautifully and entered the basket dead centre, without hitting the rim and barely shifting the basket. For a moment, everyone in that court went silent, stunned by that shot, then shouts of amazement were heard,

"What was that shot? It was so high!"

"No one would be able to stop that!"

Kogawa stood up quickly and shouted for quiet. As the freshman and his club mates finally quieted down, he motioned for the freshman to continue shooting.

The next three shots were just as amazing, causing oohs and ahhs to sound from the 'audience'. For this last shot, the freshman even moved some steps back from the three point line and shot. As the last shot entered the basket, the freshman pushed up his glasses with his right hand, then turned around and gave him a nod before moving to the next station.

"Midorima huh…" Kogawa said to himself as he looked down at the paper he was holding. It looks like there would be some scary freshmen this year.

The rest of the tryout was pretty smooth sailing, there were a few more that did well and most of the freshman could at throw two shots in to the basket.

Well, except for one.

Kogawa looked down at the piece of paper he was holding.

0/5

That was what the score read. Even after various attempts and allowing the freshman to go closer to the net, the score stayed the same.

_I guess this guy is going into third string._

* * *

Some hours later, the tryouts finally came to an end. As the students started to pack up, the coach, Kogawa and the other third year regulars who manned the station were holding a meeting in the corner of the gym, huddled around a table.

"So for this one, I'm thinking we should put him into second string based on our observations so far, any objections?"

Everyone around the table either nodded or gave their verbal agreement. Then they heard a girls' voice,

"I don't think that's a good idea though."

Everyone turned towards the voice. It was a cute girl with long pink hair.

Kogawa suddenly remembered that she was the girl who wanted to be their club manager. He had forgotten about her as the tryouts progressed.

"Ah, coach, this is the girl who wants to sign up as our manager."

"Oh is it? I'll talk to you later, we're still busy here." The coach dismissed the girl, but she stepped forward in response.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Putting this student into second string isn't a good idea."

"And why is that?" One of the third years asked.

"You see, his basics are already very good and he's the type that will learn fast. He'll improve by leaps and bounds if he's put into the first string. Putting him into the second string is just a waste." The coach and the third year regulars looked down at the form as they recalled the student's tryout. Just like the girl had said, the student's basics were very good.

The girl continued to speak,

"And this student here, I see you put him in first string, but he won't survive long in it. His basics are weaker than the previous one, he'll do better staying in the second string for a while."

As they thought back once again, they realized with some shock that she was correct about that as well. But how did she know?

As the girl finished her analysis, one of the third years finally asked,

"Erhm…have you been watching the tryouts this whole time?"

"Yes. Not just the tryouts though."

"What do you mean?" The coach finally asked.

"Well, I've been watching your training sessions too."

"So you've been observing us since the start of the school term?" The coach asked, obviously impressed. For a girl, she was surprising dedicated to basketball.

"Not exactly. Your club is well known around here, so I've been watching your games even before I entered the school." The girl answered casually, like it wasn't a big deal at all.

There was a pause as everyone stared at the girl in shock. Finally the coach spoke,

"We're happy to have you as our new manager. What's your name?"

"Momoi Satsuki."

* * *

**pika318: **That's it for the first chapter. This chapter covers the tryouts of the Teikou Basketball club and how the various MiraGen members fared when they first joined. I'm sure everyone would have figured out who was who by the end of the first section =D I don't play any sports myself, so I hope I didn't get anything wrong. Hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Six Months Later

**pika318: **Finally had enough time and brain power to sit down and write the second chapter. For the people who forgot after reading the manga or watch the anime only, I'm quite confident that you will somehow flame me once I get to the second sentence of this fic if I don't make things clear here, so I shall explain first. At this point in time, Akashi still addresses the members of the future MiraGen by their last names, as proven by chapter 124. Okay, now that this is out of the way, I shall proceed with the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 2: **Six months later

* * *

"Momoi, have you seen Aomine?"

Momoi turned around at the voice and came face to face with Akashi Seijiuro. She had first talked to him one week after becoming the manager of the Basketball Club. He had approached Aomine after practice to ask him to be his practice partner and she just happened to be roped into the conversation because she was nearby. It seemed like after six months, Akashi had already figured out that if he wanted to know about Aomine's whereabouts, he only needed to ask her.

"Aomine-kun? He said that the first string's gym was getting too crowded, so he went to the third string gym to practice."

"The third string gym huh? He might not be that smart when it comes to studies, but I have to admit that he made a good decision this time. It's always empty after the usual practice hours."

Momoi turned to the person who spoke,

"Aomine-kun isn't that dumb…Midorima-kun." she protested half heartedly.

Midorima Shintaro simply pushed up his glasses in response to her feeble protest and adjusted his grip on his…cleaning spray? Even after six months, Momoi still couldn't get used to the strange items that Midorima brought to practice. From her research, she knew that he firmly believed in horoscopes, listened to Oha-Asa every morning, and somehow correlated his horoscope reading to his performance in basketball. Honestly, she thought he was a really strange person. If not for Akashi, who had introduced Midorima to Aomine and her, she doubted that she would ever speak to him.

It was the same case for the other person with Akashi. She would have never approached Murasakibara Atsushi on her own except when necessary and it wasn't just because he appeared intimidating as he towered over her. She didn't even need to gather information on Murasakibara to sense it. The feeling that she got from him had been very obvious, especially after spending a lot of time with Aomine.

_Murasakibara-kun isn't passionate about basketball at all._

"By himself? For the past month?"

Momoi was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by Akashi's question.

"I'm not sure…he does go to the gym by himself, but he also mentioned a practice partner…" Momoi replied uncertainly. Aomine only told her that he was practicing with someone once before, but had remained rather vague when she asked him for more details. In addition, her duties as a manager also kept her from following Aomine to the third string gym, so she couldn't get any more information.

She saw Akashi frown at her reply. But that expression quickly disappeared as he turned to Midorima and Murasakibara, saying,

"We're going to the third string gym."

And the three of them left, with Akashi leading the way.

Momoi found herself watching them as they left the first string gym. Akashi's voice had sounded rather neutral just now, but given the frown that he had on his face before, and the little information she found on him, she suspected two reasons for that expression. Either Akashi was annoyed with himself that he had not discovered Aomine's absence from the first string gym because he had been busy or he was annoyed with Aomine for not telling him, or anyone else for that matter, that he was practicing in the third string gym.

No matter which reason it was though, she was pretty sure that Aomine was going to get into some sort of trouble with Akashi.

* * *

"I'm thinking…about quitting the basketball team."

For a split second, Aomine started at his practice partner for the past month in shock, before exclaiming in disbelief,

"What? Why?"

For a while, Kuroko Tetsuya didn't say anything, staring at the gym floor. When he finally spoke, Aomine could clearly hear the pain in his voice.

"Like I thought, with my skills, I probably won't even make it into second string, let alone be able to play with Aomine-kun."

With that, Aomine suddenly remembered.

_Oh right, there was a ranking test today…_

Every three months, the basketball club will hold a ranking test for the second and third string players to determine who is worthy enough to move upwards and for those in the second string, they might also be demoted to the third string if their performance was especially bad. For the first string players, their ranking test was only held if there was too many people in the first string, which didn't happen often. It was no wonder that he had forgotten about the regular ranking tests.

Kuroko continued to speak again, and Aomine forced himself to listen to Kuroko's reasons for quitting.

"I like basketball…but, I've been on the team for half a year…I guess there's nothing you can do if you're not made for it. On top of that, here at Teikou Middle School, I don't think I can be of any use to the team."

Aomine remained silent as he observed Kuroko. The light blue haired boy's shoulders were slumped, like he had lost all the fight in his body. He looked as if he was going to disappear into the floor.

To be honest, Aomine was torn. What had happened to the person who spoke so passionately of basketball just the day before? What happened to the person who didn't give up no matter how much Aomine passed his defense or stole his basketball? The person who stayed back late, training by himself, believing that his hard work will pay off one day?

Before Aomine knew it, he had already spoken,

"In a team, there's no such thing as an unnecessary player. Even if you can't play in matches…there's no way that a guy who stays behind later than the first string-later than anyone-is completely useless. At least for me, watching you like that made me respect you, and made me want to work harder."

_No matter what, I need to convince Tetsu to stay._

He chose his next words carefully.

"I'm not going to say that you can do it if you don't give up. But if you do give up, there'll be nothing left."

For the next few moments, it was quiet as both of them stood in the gym, with Aomine watching Kuroko and Kuroko still staring at the floor. Then Aomine heard a familiar voice.

"Aomine."

Turning towards the direction of the voice, he saw a red haired boy standing at the doorway of the gym. Behind him were a tall purple haired boy and a bespectacled green haired boy. All three of them were his fellow club members in the first string. The red haired boy continued to speak,

"I thought I didn't see you for a while. So you were here."

At that, a startling fact suddenly hit Aomine.

He did not inform the red haired boy, who he knew as Akashi, that he had been training in the third string gym.

_Oh crap. I totally forgot to tell him! Seeing that he's such a control freak, he must be angry at me right now. Wait…he doesn't look angry…who am I kidding? That guy never lets his emotions show on his face, he's even worse than Midorima in that sense…talking about Midorima, did he actually bring a cleaning spray this time…Argh! Now's not the time for that, I need to think of a good excuse for not informing him! _

After a short inner struggle, Aomine finally said in the most casual tone he could manage,

"Oh yeah. Too many people in the other auditorium…"

As soon as he said that, Aomine immediately sense how unhelpful it had been. It only explained why he came here and did not explain why he had not informed anyone else besides Momoi about coming here. He mentally prepared himself for what was to come, but…

"Well, it doesn't matter where you practice…"

Aomine couldn't believe what he just heard, did Akashi actually just forgive him? Mentally, he was already crying in relief, but he was quickly brought out of his thoughts by Akashi's question,

"Who's he?"

Aomine followed Akashi's line of sight and realized he had been referring to Kuroko. Turning back to Akashi, he answered,

"Oh…I always practice with him. His name is Tetsu."

At his response, Murasakibara suddenly spoke up,

"Hmm? Did we have a guy like that on our team?"

"He's not in the first string. Still in third string."

With that answer, Murasakibara suddenly looked bored again, like he had deemed Kuroko unworthy of his attention.

"Hmm…whatever then. Hey, let's go already-" Murasakibara said, yawning as he said so.

In contrast to Murasakibara, Akashi was staring at Kuroko intently, like he was trying to see something in the blue haired boy. Then he suddenly commented, catching Aomine's attention.

"No…I'm curious about him. Interesting…I've never seen this type of player. He might be hiding a talent completely different from ours."

"What do you mean by that?" Aomine asked, curious and confused at the same time.

However, he was totally ignored by Akashi, who had chosen to speak to Kuroko instead.

"What's your name?"

Kuroko appeared startled at the question, like he didn't expect to be spoken to directly. For a while, he fidgeted, uncomfortable with the sudden attention, but Akashi didn't rush him, and simply waited for an answer.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." He finally said softly.

"And your class?"

"1-C."

"Doesn't that mean you're in the same class as me?"

"I guess so."

"I don't remember seeing you in my class."

"I sit in the back of the classroom."

"Is that so…?"

Now it was Akashi's turn to become silent as he appeared deep in thought. After a few seconds, a grin appeared on his face.

Honestly, that scared Aomine…a lot.

"Starting from tomorrow, I'll meet you here after the regular practices."

Akashi had declared it so suddenly that it took a while for the sentence to sink in, then…

"Huh?" Aomine exclaimed. Even Midorima looked a little surprised. Kuroko, on the other hand, still had the same expression on his face, like he didn't know how to react to the new development. Then he said hesitantly,

"But I…"

"Now that it's settled, we should be going home, it's getting late." Akashi had completely ignored Kuroko's reaction on the matter and was already walking towards the gym door. After walking a few steps, he turned his head towards Aomine and asked,

"Are you coming?"

Aomine looked between Akashi and Kuroko a few times, frantically thinking of what he should do, then he replied,

"I still need to pack up and stuff, so why don't the three of you go ahead? I can go home with Tetsu here."

Akashi looked at Aomine for a while, then seemingly accepting his answer, Akashi turned back and left the gym, the other two following suit.

It was quiet in the gym as Aomine hurriedly went to fetch his bag, not even bothering to change back into his uniform. Then he turned to Kuroko, who still seemed to be in shock at what just transpired.

"So, shall we go home, Tetsu?"

Kuroko only nodded in response, and the both of them left the gym together.

* * *

The atmosphere between them as they walked home could only be described as awkward.

Aomine had glanced over at Kuroko a few times in the last five minutes since they left the school grounds, but he couldn't think of anything to say to break the strange atmosphere between them. Talking about school would be weird since he was not interested in the school or his studies. However, considering what had just occurred, talking about basketball would be an even worse topic. Moreover, Kuroko didn't seem to want to converse either, quietly walking beside Aomine with his eyes downcast.

Ten minutes into their journey, Aomine was close to giving up on getting a conversation going before they parted ways at a road intersection just another five minutes away. Then,

"That was Akashi-kun, right?"

"Huh?"

It took Aomine quite a while to process the fact that Kuroko was actually asking him a question. Hearing the confusion in his voice, Kuroko repeated his question once more.

"The one who spoke to me earlier, that was Akashi-kun?"

"Oh…yeah." Aomine replied, then remembering something from Akashi's and Kuroko's conversation earlier, he added, "Both of you are in the same class?"

"Yes. Akashi-kun is…very well known in our class."

"Well known huh?" Aomine echoed. When he thought back about the things he heard about Akashi, he wasn't surprised at all. Akashi is the class leader of 1-C; the type of student who would answer all his teachers' questions correctly no matter which subject and in the recent mid-year exams, he had even topped the level. There were even rumours that he had taken part in the local Shogi competition for under-16 division and won the competition, surpassing even the Teikou Shogi Club members. In short, he seemed perfect in every way.

As if Kuroko was thinking the same thing, he asked,

"I wonder why Akashi-kun wants to get involved with someone like me?"

There was silence as Aomine tried to think up of an answer. Then after drawing up a blank, he concluded that he would never be able to understand what the red haired prodigy might be thinking, so he answered in the most direct manner.

"Who knows?"

Just as Kuroko looked at him with a look akin to disappointment, Aomine continued,

"I can't say that I know what Akashi is thinking, but he always has a reason for doing something, and from the six months that I have known him, his judgment has never been wrong. So…why don't you just give it a try? Go to practice tomorrow, meet up with Akashi and see what he wants."

After Aomine finished speaking, Kuroko hung his head once more and the silence continued for a while. As they started to approach the intersection where they normally parted ways, Aomine started to fear that they were simply going to go their separate ways without him ever hearing any answer from his quiet friend.

"I'll…think about it."

Aomine almost sighed in relief. The answer hadn't been a 'yes', but it wasn't a 'no' either, which meant that there was still some hope that Kuroko wouldn't quit basketball after all.

Almost too quickly, they reached the intersection. As Kuroko turned the corner, Aomine spoke to his back.

"Then…I'll see you tomorrow?"

Aomine didn't receive any verbal answer, but he thought he saw a small nod, maybe. Satisfied that he even got a reaction, Aomine continued on his way home.

* * *

"Why did you want to meet me after practice?"

Both Kuroko and Akashi were sitting on the benches at the edges of the basketball court in the Third String gym. Kuroko was already sitting there when Akashi entered the gym and he had asked Akashi this question once the red haired boy had sat down. Akashi answered Kuroko's question quickly, like he had expected it to be asked,

"It's to train you, of course."

"Train me?"

"Yes, to develop your talent…" Seeing the doubtful look on Kuroko's face, Akashi asked,

"Now what's with that unsure look on your face, you don't trust me?"

He was replied with a short but blunt answer.

"Honestly, I don't."

A look of surprise flitted across Akashi's face before he smoothed it over with a confident, almost challenging, expression. He asked Kuroko another question.

"Why did you stay back and waited for me to come then? The practices for the third string members end earlier than the practices for the first string members. If you didn't want to meet me, you wouldn't have waited. "

"That's because you asked me to meet you."

"Hmm… you're that obedient? Really? Surely you must have other reasons."

"…."

"Then I'll ask you another question. What exactly do you want to accomplish here, in this club?"

"I… don't know."

"What exactly do you want to accomplish?" Turning to Kuroko and looking at the blue haired boy directly, Akashi repeated his question, with a more forceful tone this time. It was as if he already knew Kuroko's intentions, and wasn't happy with the evasive answer.

Almost immediately, Kuroko turned away, unable to face the sudden pressure. For a long while, the Third String gym was quiet as Kuroko sorted out his thoughts, wondering how he should answer. But deep inside, he knew he was just delaying. Because ever since he had started practicing with a certain idiot who loved nothing else but basketball, he had already known what he wanted to do. He turned back to Akashi.

_If this is going to be my first step towards that goal, then I'll take my chances with Akashi-kun. Because I made a promise._

"I… want to play basketball with Aomine-kun… as a regular."

Hearing the answer and seeing the determined look on the blue haired boy's face, Akashi knew that he had won.

"Good." Akashi answered, a hint of a smile on his face. He stood up and picked up the basketball next to him. Then he turned to Kuroko and said, "Let me see your determination."

* * *

Aomine dribbled his basketball absentmindedly as he waited, yet again, for his turn to shoot at the basket. Compared to this crowded first string gym, he would rather do his extra training at the much emptier third string gym, but ever since Akashi and Kuroko started to use that place for Kuroko's training, he hadn't been allowed there at all.

Well, it wasn't as if he didn't try. On the first day, he had attempted to follow Akashi to the third string gym, but his red haired club mate had given him a pointed stare that seemed to say "Follow me and die," so he stayed where he was.

A few days after that, he had asked Akashi what both him and Kuroko were doing as training, but he only received a curt reply of "It's none of your concern," which clearly signaled that it wasn't a topic to be talked about.

It didn't help that he finally met Kuroko the day after, which only made him more curious about what kind of training had been conducted. His friend was barely staying on his feet and almost walked like an old man. Even his arm was shaking rather visibly while he was carrying his bag. Naturally, he had asked Kuroko if it was due to Akashi's training, hoping to get more information. But he was only answered with a "Yes," and nothing else. Knowing Kuroko's nature, it wasn't as if he was going to get any more answers even if he probed.

Three weeks had passed since then.

_In the end, I didn't get any information at all._

Aomine sighed and in that instant, he lost control of his basketball. It bounced away from him, rolled and finally stopped at Midorima's feet. His bespectacled club mate seemed to shoot him a glare before bending over to pick up the basketball and walking over.

"If you lose control of the ball like that in a match, it'll be all over." Midorima commented, with a serious look on his face.

Normally, Aomine would have apologized with a grin, but due to his bad mood, he snapped back.

"It's not as if this is a match."

"With an attitude like that, you'll never get far in life."

"Che."

The air between them grew tense as both of them glared at one another and one could almost see the sparks fly between them. Sensing what seemed to be an imminent argument, the other club members nearby backed away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Only one person stepped forward.

"Mine-chin, Midori-chin."

"What?" Both of them answered simultaneously in irritation as they turned towards the only person in the club who would give them ridiculous nicknames like this.

Murasakibara stood there, oblivious to their irritation, as he put his mobile phone back into his jersey. He continued speaking in his characteristic drawl.

"Aka-chin wants to see us in the third string gym."

"For what?" Midorima asked.

"Seems like he wants to show us something."

* * *

**pika318: **Done with chapter 2! Thanks for all the kind alerts, and favourites (or followers) for the first chapter ^_^ I hope you like this chapter too.


	3. Challenge

**pika318: **And here I am again with chapter 3! My update speed is slow because I only use the 15-20 minutes (sometimes even 5 minutes, like now) I have every morning to write before I go to work. Hope the rest of you can understand.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 3: **Challenge

* * *

"A two on two match? How about you?" Midorima asked as he turned towards his red haired club mate.

"Oh, I'll be watching," was the relaxed reply he received.

Midorima frowned. He couldn't figure out what Akashi was planning at all. After receiving Akashi's message, he had gone to the third string gym together with Aomine and Murasakibara, and all of a sudden, Akashi had asked them to play a two on two match with one another, with him and Murasakibara against Aomine and that…third string member.

Akashi threw the ball to Aomine, who caught it easily. From the look on Aomine's face, Midorima could tell that he was confused as well. Who wouldn't be, after being suddenly made to play a match? The only person who didn't seem affected was Murasakibara, who still had the same indifferent look on his face.

_Either that, or he can hide his emotions very well._

"Well, you can start when you're ready, Aomine." Akashi said.

Midorima focused his attention on Aomine when he heard that. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Murasakibara doing the same. It was the most obvious thing to do after all. From their practices, they already knew that Aomine was the type of person who would charge straight for the basket when given the ball. As long as they stopped Aomine's charge, they would be able to counterattack.

As expected, Aomine started to run across the court towards them. Midorima ran forward to block his advancement, but Aomine avoided him easily with a sudden turn to the side and ran past him. As Midorima turned around, he saw that Aomine was already throwing the ball. But he wasn't particularly worried.

_After all, that guy is there._

Just as the ball left Aomine's hands and sailed through the air, its flight was interrupted by a large hand. Murasakibara had hit the ball away, and now it was flying towards Midorima. He ran forward to grab the ball.

But just then, something unbelievable happened.

The ball suddenly changed directions and landed in Aomine's hands.

In that instant, everyone on the court froze, unable to process what had just happened. Then, Aomine recovered first, and threw the ball into the net.

"Okay, that's enough."

Everyone turned to the source of the voice.

"What was that?" Midorima asked.

"That was what I wanted to show you." Then seeing the confused looks on their faces, Akashi continued with a smirk on his face, "Don't tell me you forgot _that there was a fourth person on the court._"

That was when everyone jerked, like that had just remembered something. Then all of them turned towards the light blue haired boy, who had mysteriously appeared in front of them all of a sudden.

Midorima noticed that Aomine looked particularly embarrassed. It was already strange enough that Murasakibara and him did not notice this fourth person, but Aomine had totally forgotten about someone who was supposed to be on his own team, which was scary.

Come to think of it, when he first entered the third string gym, he didn't even notice the third string member being there until Aomine had greeted him with a "Tetsu". That was when that person entered his awareness, and he saw the third string member sitting there on the bench, right in his line of sight.

_Is that what it is like to have a really small presence?_

"Tetsu, that pass just now, was that you just now?" Midorima heard Aomine ask.

"Yes."

There was a short pause as Aomine processed that answer, then,

"That was amazing!" Aomine declared in excitement.

"Akashi-kun was the one who taught me."

"Well, it's still amazing! The fact that you learnt it so quickly." Aomine continued to gush over his friend, who was steadily looking more embarrassed by the sudden praise and attention.

Ignoring the two of them, Midorima turned to Akashi instead.

"And so?" he asked.

Akashi stared at Midorima, the look in his eyes silently asking for an elaboration to his question. He obliged.

"After your secret training for three weeks, that's all you taught him? To pass? That can't be all that you wanted to show us."

In response to that, Akashi only gave him a questioning look which seemed to say "What do you think?" Midorima found himself losing patience.

_Argh! I can't believe him! Akashi has to be planning something, he's definitely not the type of person who would just teach a random third string member out of pure goodwill!_

As Midorima fought to calm down, clenching and unclenching his fists, Murasakibara spoke, directing his question at Akashi as he cast a sidelong glance at the light blue haired boy.

"So, what are you going to do about that guy? He's still in third string, you know."

"Kuroko." Aomine corrected with an irritated tone in his voice.

"Exactly." Midorima agreed and continued, "Even if you taught this…Kuroko how to pass, he's still going to be in third string. With our club having such a strong emphasis on individual ability, even if he uses that skill during the practice matches, it would never be enough to get him promoted."

Midorima noticed that Kuroko looked downcast after hearing what he said, but he didn't really care. After all, that was the harsh reality of things.

* * *

Seriously, Aomine felt like punching that horoscope obsessed club mate of his. It is true that the focus of Teikou Basketball Club is the individual skills of a student, but to point it out so soon after Kuroko finally felt he had achieved something was really insensitive of Midorima.

Maybe he had been shaking in anger, because in the next moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder, as if it was trying to hold him back. Turning his head, he saw Kuroko standing next to him.

"Tetsu?"

"It's fine. What he said wasn't wrong." Kuroko said.

A short silence fell upon the gym, with Aomine unable to think of what to say to comfort his friend while Midorima and Murasakibara waited to hear Akashi's answer. Then, Akashi eventually said,

"I'm going to do something about that. Follow me, all of you."

* * *

As Momoi busied with her manager duties, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Aomine, Midorima and Murasakibara had returned, together with Akashi. Wondering what had happened over at the other gym, she walked up to her childhood friend.

"Aomine-kun, what did you guys do over at the third string gym?" she asked.

"Huh?" Aomine replied, just noticing that she was there. "Ah, we just played a two on two match, and suddenly Akashi told us to follow him. I have no idea why we're back here though." He said, answering her question.

"Ah okay…" Momoi answered, redirecting her gaze to the red haired boy when Aomine mentioned his name. Apparently, he was walking towards the coach as the rest of the group trailed behind him.

"Coach." Akashi said.

"Hmm?" The coach looked up at the voice and asked, "Is there a problem?"

* * *

Somewhere nearby, Kogawa was also watching this exchange between the freshman student and the coach as he waited his turn for his exercise. Students only approached the coach for two reasons. The first reason would be because they were feeling unwell in some way. The freshman looked healthy enough, so it had to be the second reason.

Kogawa sighed. They would get a few of this kind of people in the first string every year. These club members would always approach the coach and ask when they would be able to play in a regular team. And most of the time, the coach would just tell them to practice harder and give them extra training for even daring to ask such a question. With that sort of punishment, it was a wonder that there were still members who would ask the coach this. He wondered what kind of extra training this freshman would get this time.

"So, what is it? I don't have all day." Kogawa heard the coach prompt the freshman.

"Make us into regulars." The freshman said as he gestured to the group behind him, smirking arrogantly as he did so.

* * *

**pika318: **Wahahaha, I feel so evil ending here :P This is shorter than usual, but seemed like a good place (cliffhanger) to stop at. I already have ideas for the next chapter, so hopefully you readers don't have to wait too long for the next update.


	4. Promotion

**pika318: **Continuing from the cliffhanger I left last time XD Thanks for all the constructive and kind reviews! I'm glad that there are people who like this story enough to follow it as well.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 4: **Promotion

* * *

"Make us into regulars."

Kogawa dropped his basketball in shock when he heard this. The coach, he observed, was stunned speechless as well. He had his mouth wide open and then proceeded to open and close his mouth just like a goldfish, even as the freshman who said this was still standing in front of him, smiling like he had said nothing out of the ordinary.

_What the heck did he just say?_

'Make us into regulars,' his mind supplied helpfully. But no, it still didn't explain why the freshman even said it in the first place, or the way he said it. Sure, there were always a few members in the first string who would always ask when they could be made into regulars. But to be this direct… it wasn't a question, or a request even! It sounded more like an order.

Just then, the coach finally managed to compose himself and asked in a rather intimidating tone, "What did you just say?"

Kogawa fought down the urge to add into the conversation with some sort of verbal support to the coach's question. After all, this was a matter between the coach and the freshman.

"Make us into regulars." The red haired freshman repeated, the smile on his face never fading. By now, Kogawa faintly remembered that his name was Akashi Seijuro. It was that freshman who smirked at him when he was proven wrong at the tryouts.

"Did you realise what you just said?" The coach asked, sounding very impatient. "It's still too early for any of you to even be thinking about this yet. Improve your basic skills first!" The coach added as he walked up to the freshman known as Akashi, his large build towering over red haired boy. But Akashi didn't even flinch. Instead he replied,

"Oh really? I think we're good enough. I believe that we're on par with the current regulars even."

"You think that your group can match up with the current regulars? Who do you think you are huh?" The coach challenged, aiming to intimidate Akashi into backing off. However, instead of backing off, the red haired freshman only rose up to the challenge.

"Then why don't we have a match to find out?" he said easily, like he was simply proposing a friendly match.

By then, most of the people in the first string gym has stopped their practice, sensing that something abnormal was going on near the coach's bench. Nothing else could be heard in the gym except for the occasional whisper, with members asking one another what was going on. Kogawa decided to take the chance to move closer to the coach, in case he needed to intervene.

"A match? With just the four of you? You don't even have a full team." The coach stated, in a mocking tone.

"There are five of us here."

As soon as he heard that, Kogawa finally noticed that there was a fifth person in the group after all. He was standing behind Aomine, and had a rather small build compared to the rest of the group However, Kogawa did not recognize him at all, which was strange, because after almost seven months, he could already identify most of the members in the first string.

_He's not from the first string?_

Apparently, the coach was also thinking the same thing, because he barked, "You there, what's your name?"

That fifth unidentified person seemed to flinch a little at the coach's tone, but he answered,

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

"I don't remember seeing you around this gym before." The coach stated.

"I'm in third string."

The coach raised an eyebrow at the reply, and turned to Akashi, asking,

"You must be out of your mind. You plan to challenge our current regulars with a group of first years, and with one of them in third string as well?"

"That's what I plan to do. In fact, if we win this match, make all of us into regulars."

"Talking terms now, aren't we? Don't be so cocky. What if you lose then? Haven't you thought about that?"

Akashi seemed to think about it for a short while, then he replied,

"If we lose, then we'll quit the club."

Kogawa gaped as he heard the answer and immediately turned towards the coach if a 'Don't agree to that!' look on his face. And judging by the expression on the coach's face, even he had trouble agreeing to those conditions. Akashi and the third string member Kuroko aside, the remaining three freshmen were very skilled basketball players, especially after half a year of training. Even without pulling a stunt like this, they would have been made regulars by the time they entered their second year. Losing them would hurt, a lot.

Kogawa saw the coach's frown deepen as he also thought about the possible implications of the proposed conditions. Then after a long silence, the coach said,

"Fine. If your team loses, all of you will be kicked out."

"Coach…" Kogawa started to say, determined to talk his coach out of it. But the coach ignored his voice entirely and instead, turned towards their club manager, who had been standing next to the freshmen group the entire time.

" Momoi."

Kogawa directed his attention to the pink haired girl when her name was mentioned. From the shocked look on her face, he could tell that she had trouble processing what had just happened, which was a rare occurrence, seeing that she was their information gathering specialist.

"…Yes, coach?" She finally replied after a pause.

"Go get the practice vests."

"O…okay." She replied uncertainly. Then, after glancing worriedly at the freshmen group, she half jogged to the equipment room to collect the vests.

The coach watched her go for a while, then he turned to both the regulars and the freshmen challengers.

"We'll be playing a 10 minute match, I'm giving all of you 20 minutes to warm up properly if you have not. That also means that you have 20 minutes to change your mind." The coach said, staring at the group who dared to challenge the club regulars as he said the last sentence.

"As for the rest of you," the coach said, turning to the other first string members in the gym, who had now gathered nearby, "you can stay and watch if you want, but go to the spectator stands."

_The coach wants the rest of them to watch so as to serve as a warning to the others once we won…_

He found himself thinking. It sounded like something the coach would do after all, a pre-emptive strike to rid the others of any ideas that they could become regulars easily. As some of the other first string members started to move to the stands, his team of regulars moved towards one side of the gym. As he glanced behind him, he saw the group of freshmen move to the other side of the gym.

* * *

The moment they were left alone in their own corner of the gym, Aomine turned on his club mate.

"Are you mental?" He shouted, almost hysterical. In total contrast, the person he was talking to had a very calm expression on his face. He continued his angry rant, "Don't drag us into situations like this!"

"I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't confident of your victory." Akashi replied.

"Well, I'm not! We're going up against the regulars! They've been playing in nationally ranked matches for at least the past year!" Aomine shouted in return, but his club mate remained unmoved. So, he decided to garner more support instead. He turned towards the rest of the group. "Don't the rest of you have anything to say about this?"

"…" Murasakibara said nothing, seemingly content in observing the situation. After a short silence,

"…Perhaps we should reconsider." Midorima finally said.

"Right? This is crazy, no matter how you think about it." Aomine agreed readily.

"But after a declaration like that in front of everyone, it'll be embarrassing if we backed out now." Midorima added.

"Who cares about embarrassment! Do you realise that we have to leave the club if we lose?"

"Don't you want to become a regular, Aomine?" Akashi asked, interrupting their conversation.

"Of course I do. But that doesn't mean I want to wager my membership on something like this!" Aomine replied, his frustration showing.

"Then win." Akashi said, like it was the most natural thing to do.

_Then win, he says. He makes it sound so easy._

It looks like there was no way to make Akashi change his mind at all. Drooping his shoulders in near defeat, he turned to the last member of the group, practically his last ray of hope.

"Tetsu, what do you want to do?"

Kuroko shifted uncomfortably. Aomine could tell he was thinking of something but what it was about was unknown. Was the blue haired boy also thinking that they might lose or was he thinking about having to leave the club?

"I think we should play." Kuroko finally said.

Aomine raised both hands and started massaging his temples in frustration as he let out an "Argh…"

"I think Aomine-kun can win."

_Even Tetsu? I didn't know he could be so reckless…_

"Well, I guess that's decided. We'll play." Akashi concluded with a confident smirk on his face. "As for our strategy…"

For the next ten minutes or so, they gathered around Akashi, listening to his plans. Time passed quickly, and soon, the coach walked up to them.

"So what's your decision?" The coach asked.

"We'll play." Akashi answered.

"Hmph, I see. Go get your vests from Momoi. I'll expect to see your resignation forms after this." The coach said almost mockingly before walking away, not even giving them a second look.

Aomine gave a small sigh as he walked towards the courts. It looks like they were really going to play after all. After listening to Akashi's plans, which he thought were actually really good, he had felt more confident, but only a bit more. After all, none of them had actually played an actual match against the regulars after all, and it is still the first time they played together as a team. But worrying about all this was useless, it was now an unchangeable fact that they were going to play. He shook his head a little to clear it and a determined expression rose to his face.

_If we're going to do this, then I'll play without any regrets._

Walking up to Momoi, he took a vest from her and put it on.

"Good luck, Dai-chan. Don't lose." She said, a worried look on her face.

He waved a hand in reply as he turned and moved to join the others as they lined up on one side of the court, facing the regulars of their club.

The coach spoke, "As I said before, this is a 10 minute match. I expect all of you to play your best." He seemed to stare at the regulars especially when he said it. So he didn't wish to give them any mercy at all.

"Begin."

"Let's have a good match!" The two teams chorused.

Aomine moved to the position he was told to go to by Akashi as Murasakibara moved towards the centre, having been appointed to do the tip off.

Once everyone had moved to their positions, the whistle blew, and the match began.

* * *

_Ten minutes later_

Silence fell over the gym as everyone stared at the final scores.

It read 12-15.

In the freshmen's favour.

They had won, the point gap wasn't large, but they had won nevertheless. Considering that they were playing against nationally ranked basketball players in the middle school level, it was almost a miracle. No one knew what to say, the other first string members simply stared between the regulars and the coach, who had seemed to freeze where they stood. Eventually, someone spoke up.

"We won, so you should keep your end of the agreement, coach."

The one who spoke was the one who dared to challenge the coach and the regulars, Akashi.

Hearing that sentence, the coach appeared to have finally snapped out of his daze, and he snapped back almost defensively,

"You know I can't do that! Seeing your performance today, your group would have become regulars eventually, what's your point in doing this?"

In response to that, Akashi only said calmly,

"So you don't plan to keep your agreement?"

To everyone in the gym, the way he just said that sentence seemed like something a villain would say before he brought harm to his victims. They gulped in nervousness. However, the coach remained firm.

"No, I don't, all of you can wait till next year to become regulars. That is, if all of you are still deserving of that position at that time."

The coach glared at Akashi as he said this, and Akashi only stared back, like he refused to back down. A tense silence followed, then…

"Fine. I didn't expect you to agree anyway." Akashi finally said, a smirk on his face.

Everyone's mouth hung open when they heard that. What was the point in challenging the regulars then, if he backed down on his original agreement so easily? What exactly was he thinking?

Even the coach looked rather stunned. Like the rest of them, he didn't expect Akashi to give up that easily.

"However, we did win after all, it's not really fair if we get nothing out of this."

The coach's eyebrow twitched.

"After all, everyone in this gym is a witness. We won, but you didn't keep your promise. Not very good for your reputation, isn't it?" Akashi added, in an almost casual tone, but everyone could sense the thinly veiled threat behind it.

"What do you want?" The coach finally said through gritted teeth.

"It's simple, really. Let Kuroko Tetsuya become a first string player."

"That's it?" The coach asked, skeptical.

"That's it."

Kogawa could see the gears turning in the coach's head. The decision the coach was going to make was already quite clear to him. After all, compared to making all of them regulars, something like making a third string player into a first string player would be a lot easier to do. And as expected,

"Fine, I agree to that." The coach walked over to the bench, picked up a clipboard with the list of names of the first string players, and turned in the direction of the person known as Kuroko Tetsuya.

"Write your name here." The coach said as he held out the clipboard and a pen.

The light blue haired boy seemed to freeze for a while, like he was unsure of what to do, until he was pushed gently from behind by Aomine. The action seemed to say "You deserved it, go on."

Encouraged by that action, Kuroko finally walked up to the coach and taking the pen, wrote his name down neatly.

"I expect you to keep up with the rest of them from now on." The coach said gruffly.

"Yes." Kuroko said softly before an arm went around his neck, followed by an enthusiastic "Congrats Tetsu!"

The light blue haired boy gave a small smile in return. Finally, he could play on the same court as his friend.

* * *

**pika318: **And I'm done with this chapter! I think my writing style changed a tiny bit. I'm not very good at writing action like scenes and I don't understand basketball all that much, which was why I skipped the match altogether. The quality of the chapter would have gone down if I wrote it, so I hope you don't mind ^_^


	5. The Fifth Player

**pika318: **For the readers who haven't been following my other fics, I got distracted by another Kuroko no Basuke idea and ran off to write "Unexpected Surprises: The Beginnings", which is why I haven't been writing this at all. Now I'm going back to this because I've been neglecting this for way too long. Plus work is getting demanding, so I have less and less time to write. About the chapter itself, judging by the outline I have, this is going to be a really long chapter with lots of manga material. I hope you enjoy this!

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 5: **The Fifth Player

* * *

It was in early November when the coach started to arrange practice matches with other schools so that the non-regulars in the first string can train and gain experience in preparation for the selection matches to be held in the third term. However, given the large number of students in the first string and the limitations of schedule, it was a full two weeks before Aomine had a chance to play in a match.

By coincidence, Kuroko was also assigned to play in that match as well. Ever since Kuroko was accepted into the first string, Kuroko and him had trained together during the extra practices after club hours according to the training schedule that Akashi had drafted out. With the amount of training that had done together for the past two weeks, their teamwork had improved a lot, so Aomine had thought that the match would go well.

However, as the match went on, he eventually noticed that Kuroko had a huge weakness. They had never played a full match before now, so it had not been that obvious before, but now it was as clear as day. He even had to be substituted out for one quarter because of it.

In the end, the match ended with their victory, mainly because the other school simply couldn't match them in terms of skill. As they left the stadium shortly after, Aomine saw Akashi approaching the two of them, a slight frown on his face.

"Your stamina is really bad." Akashi stated bluntly, when he finally fell into step with them.

"My apologies." Kuroko said.

"Why the hell are you apologizing?" Aomine asked, slightly unnerved by Kuroko's polite attitude. It wasn't as if his friend was in the wrong by being slightly weaker than the rest. That sort of thing could be trained after all.

"Anyway, this can't do at all. There's a larger problem besides your low stamina." Akashi continued.

Kuroko looked surprised at that statement, while Aomine was simply confused.

"And what would that be? I didn't notice anything else that was wrong, Tetsu's passing is as good as ever."

"I don't mean his skill. Didn't you realize that Kuroko was getting easier to notice as the match went on? If he hadn't been substituted out in the third quarter, anyone on the other team would have been able to stop him by then."

Aomine frowned as he thought back on the match proceedings. Then he realized that Akashi's statement actually made sense. By the end of the second quarter, Kuroko had a harder time moving around because he was getting guarded more often as compared to the first quarter. It was only when he returned in the fourth quarter did he have an easier time moving around.

"So you're trying to say that Tetsu's lack of presence actually has a time limit." Aomine concluded.

"That's right. He becomes easier to see as time goes on. The only reason why we have not noticed is because we never played a full practice match until now. And it's something that can't be trained at all, which is why it's such a big problem."

"I see." Kuroko simply stated.

Glancing over at Kuroko, Aomine wondered what his friend was thinking then. Was he worried that he was going to be less useful to the club because of something he can't change?

"So, I decided that we need to get a sixth player for our team." Akashi suddenly announced.

Aomine turned to Akashi in surprise, just as Kuroko did the same.

"Sixth player? Our team? Since when were we a team?" Aomine asked, unable to follow Akashi's train of thought.

"Since we played against the regulars of the club." Akashi said, like it had been decided a long time ago. "You, Kuroko, Midorima, Murasakibara and me. That makes five of us. If Kuroko can't play a whole match, then we would need a sixth player to fill in the gap."

"Do you have anyone in mind, Akashi-kun?"

"I do, but it'll take some time for me to convince him to join us. From what I observed so far, he is rather stubborn, but I'll think of something."

And that was the end of their conversation. The rest of the journey back to school was continued in silence as each of them was lost in their own thoughts.

A few days later, the five of them, Momoi included, were introduced to Haizaki Shogo.

* * *

Midorima twitched as Haizaki approached him after practice. After all, getting along with Haizaki was…difficult.

"Hey, Shintaro, have you seen Satsuki anywhere?"

"Don't call me by my first name." Midorima snapped back.

"Why not? We are team mates, aren't we? Anyway, you haven't answered my question."

"I don't know." Midorima answered curtly. He didn't want to have anything to do with someone who couldn't even show the most basic form of respect. Even Akashi, who occasionally disregarded the opinion of others to achieve his own goals, had the sense to address him by his last name.

"Sheesh, you're so uptight. Ah well, she's probably with Daiki. Seriously, does he have to hog her to himself? I don't understand why she sticks with him."

_Seeing how you kept trying to get uncomfortably close to her during the first week we met, it's obvious she'll stay with Aomine more often._

Midorima thought back to the time when Haizaki first got introduced into their group. Despite the fact that Aomine always acted that he didn't really care about his childhood friend, the dark blue haired boy had lost his temper once he saw that Haizaki was getting too close for comfort. If Akashi and Kuroko had not been there, it would have escalated into a fist fight. And ever since then, Momoi had stayed with Aomine, or anyone of the other people in their group if she was desperate enough, during club hours so Haizaki wouldn't approach her for inappropriate reasons.

"Ahh…it's boring talking to you." Haizaki finally said when Midorima refused to say anything else to him. "I'll find someone else more entertaining."

Midorima watched as Haizaki approached a group of first years nearby, who quickly scattered when they saw him. Given his reputation, it was no surprise. Haizaki's ability is to "steal" the abilities of other basketball players. Everyone who prized the result of their hard work treated him like a disease, stopping their practices when they sensed him watching. The only reason why Midorima wasn't worried was because Akashi had told Haizaki to leave his 'team' alone.

_Not that it makes it any easier to get along with that person. _

Midorima sighed. He didn't understand why Akashi had to choose Haizaki of all people to be their fifth player. After all, Midorima wasn't the only person in their little group who couldn't tolerate Haizaki. Aomine and Haizaki quarreled on a regular basis. Even Murasakibara, who usually had a rather placid personality, disliked Haizaki a lot because he had lost quite a number of snacks to his dust coloured hair team mate. The only ones who didn't seem to have any problem getting along with Haizaki were Kuroko and Akashi. The light blue haired boy barely counted though, because he was frequently forgotten by Haizaki and always let things slide when Haizaki took something from him, which didn't really fit the description of getting along.

"You'll get used to him," was what Akashi had said when Midorima had complained to him the first time.

_Get used to him huh? Forget it, Akashi probably has his reasons, and I'm not in the mood to think about it right now._

Pushing Haizaki out of his mind, Midorima continued with his practice.

* * *

Having made it through the preliminaries, Teikou basketball club was a flurry of activity as all the members prepared for the winter tournament held during the winter break. The regulars and the coach moved to the third string gym to undergo more intense practices while the original occupants had their practices cut short. That didn't mean they could go home early though. Their task was to do miscellaneous tasks such as cleaning the courts and fetching water and towels, amongst other things. The first string players were left under the supervision of the non-regular third years. Only the second string players, being in the middle, did not have change in arrangements.

_Perfect_

Without the coach, captain or vice-captain around, it would make it easier to achieve his goal. Akashi had thought that his plan could only be executed in the third term, but it seemed like Teikou's strong winning mentality worked to his advantage.

"I don't like that smile on your face. What exactly are you planning?" Midorima asked as he tossed a broom to his red haired club mate, which was caught easily. It was their turn to clean the courts.

"Do I have to be planning something? I might have thought of something amusing." Akashi retorted in a relaxed tone.

"It's not like you to do that." Midorima replied.

"Is that the impression you have of me? Ah well, it's not like you were wrong. I was indeed planning something."

Midorima twitched. Akashi had to be the only person he knew who would admit that he was scheming something like it was the most natural thing to do. If Akashi was a fictional character, he would be the villain for sure.

"If you're going to tell me about your plans, I'm not interested." Midorima declared. He had no intention of getting involved in Akashi's schemes in any way.

"You don't have to be so apprehensive. I was just thinking of how I can make the basketball club stronger."

"Even though we're already the best school in the district?"

"That's not good enough. You need to raise your expectations, Midorima."

"Then what are you looking for?" Midorima asked, getting more irritated as each second passed.

"I'm looking for…" Akashi started to say, then he suddenly stopped and changed the flow of conversation.

"When I become captain next term, you can be the vice-captain."

It took Midorima a few half seconds to process the abrupt change in the conversation, and even then, all he could say was,

"What?"

"Is there a problem? You stopped cleaning."

"Everything you just said is the problem! We won't even get our chance to be considered for the captain position for another year!" Midorima exclaimed.

"As long as a person is capable to being captain, the year they're in shouldn't be a problem." Akashi simply said.

Midorima believed in that view to a certain extent as well. But obviously, Akashi was missing a few details.

"The thing is, leading a club takes time. Do you seriously think our seniors will listen to you? How about the regulars and the coach? They would all have to approve of you before you can even think of becoming the captain of this club. That's why we would have to wait till the end of our second year to even gain that recognition." Midorima stated.

"Is that so? We'll see about that." Akashi replied, a confident smile on his face.

Seeing that look on Akashi's face, Midorima almost regretted laying out what seemed like a challenge to Akashi. After all, after knowing Akashi for the past eight months, he just knew,

_If it was Akashi, he might really be able to do it._

* * *

Kogawa stared the scene in front of him in surprise.

_This is… different._

Having gone through several competitions, he had expected seeing the club being split into two groups, the hardworking ones that would be practicing as usual, and the typical troublemakers that would take the chance to take it easy since the people of authority were not around to make sure they practice properly. Even in first string, there were students like that. The coach only accepted those students because of their talent.

But that group of troublemakers, whom even he had trouble handling at times, were actually practicing. And doing it properly, without cutting any corners.

At that time, everyone had paused in their practice when they saw him and the other regulars enter the gym.

"Congratulations on your victory!" they chorused.

"Ah… thank you. You may go back to practice now." Kogawa replied. Then he called the third year student he left in charge over.

"Kaji, I really underestimated you." He said, once Kaji jogged over.

"I would like to say thanks, but I don't really know what you're referring to?" Kaji answered, obviously confused at being complimented for no reason.

"I'm referring to that." Kogawa said as the pointed at the practice area. "How in the world did you manage to get those members to practice? Even I have trouble asking them to practice properly."

"Oh… that? It's shameful, but the one who got them to practice wasn't me." Kaji replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Huh? Then who was it?" Kogawa asked.

"It was a first year student actually." Kaji said, then he pointed to a figure on the opposite corner of the gym.

"That red haired one over there, Akashi. He was the one who got those normally lazy students to practice."

As Kogawa turned to where Kaji was pointing, he saw Akashi standing in the middle of a group. He seemed to be saying something while the group of students around him were listening attentively.

_Just who is that person?_

Kogawa found himself thinking. In two weeks, Akashi had managed to do something he was unable to do ever since the school term started, no matter what he tried. It was… almost a miracle.

_He could be the person to lead Teikou Basketball to greater heights._

Kogawa felt a burden being lifted off his shoulders. Ever since the tournament ended the day before, he had worried a lot about the future of his beloved club. Would the next generation of regulars keep up Teikou's strong reputation? As the captain, who should he leave the club to when he graduates from the club in two weeks to prepare for high school? Witnessing this scene in front of him suddenly made him feel that all his questions had been answered.

_None of the second year students would be able to match up to this kind of leadership ability. _

When the coach asks him for his opinion on the next captain candidate, he knew exactly what he should do. He was going to do something radical, almost unheard of. But if it was for the future of Teikou Basketball club, he would gladly take the first step.

* * *

When the third term started, besides the graduation from the club by the third year members, it also signaled the start of the selection matches to choose the next batch of regulars.

It was a straightforward process. The members of the first string could choose to form their own teams of five or six members. Those that didn't have any teams would be grouped together by the coach. Then all these teams would be written up in a tournament roster to play ten minute matches with one another.

The process of forming teams and the tournament itself took place over two days. Those that performed well during this selection would be chosen as regulars. Then among those regulars, the starters and the captain would be chosen.

It was the most surprise filled selection the club had in many years.

By the end of the two days, the number of regulars who were currently in first year increased by a lot compared to the previous batch. This irregularity had something to do with the fact that it was a six person team made up entirely of first years who won the selection tournament. On top of that, the coach had chosen none of the current second years for the captain position. Instead, he had chosen a first year student, and said that he was following his own judgment and the recommendations of the previous captain.

If this was any other club, the second year students would have protested. However, even after the new captain chose another first year as the vice captain, no one voiced any objections or tried to threaten their new captain to refuse the position. After all, none of them had a death wish.

Therefore, in the third term of his first year, Akashi Seijuro was given the number 4 uniform.

It was the start of a new generation.

* * *

**pika318: **This is the end of the first year arc. This means that I'm going to start on the second year arc next chapter ^_^

Whatever I am going to write after this author's note can be considered an interlude chapter, hence the title below. This incident happens during their third term during the first year in Teiko and is simply a plot bunny I need to get rid of. If any of you have been following Unexpected Surprises and its prequel, it's similar in the sense that Akashi and Kuroko are cousins, the rest is different.

* * *

**Half-time**

"Did Tetsu and Akashi fight?" Aomine asked his green haired team mate after practice ended.

"What makes you think I would know anything about that?" Midorima asked in return.

"You're the vice-captain."

"And so?"

"Don't you and Akashi talk a lot because of that?"

"Do you seriously think he would tell me why he's acting like that?" Midorima asked in a sarcastic tone as he gestured towards their red haired captain, who was currently searching for a certain team mate whom they had not seen all day.

"In my opinion, Kurochin is avoiding Akachin."

Both Aomine and Midorima jumped at the sudden addition to their group. Murasakibara, with an after practice snack in his hands, continued speaking, oblivious to the surprise he had caused the pair.

"But I don't think they fought."

"What makes you say that?" Aomine asked. In his opinion, one person would not suddenly avoid another person unless they had a quarrel.

"If they fought, and Kurochin is avoiding Akachin now, that they would mean that Akachin offending Kurochin in some way. If that is true, then Akachin should be feeling rather guilty by now. But it looks like he's just annoyed now."

"I doubt that guy is even capable of feeling guilty." Midorima commented.

"Akashi-kun does look rather troubled, you should be nicer." A female voice suddenly said.

The three of them turned around to see their pink haired manager standing next to them. With nothing important left to do, she had decided to join their group.

Midorima gave a hmph in response, clearly showing his disagreement. Momoi watched Akashi for a while before she spoke,

"I'm amazed though. Given that both of them are in the same class and that Kuroko did not skip practice today, it's a wonder that Akashi-kun hasn't managed to find him yet. Hasn't it been two days already?"

"I guess Tetsu is just trying really hard not to be found this time. I only managed to talk to him during the practice match just now, because he just disappears every time Akashi's nearby." Aomine concluded.

"Have any of you seen Kuroko?"

All of them turned to see Akashi.

"Not recently." Aomine answered as the others gave their own negative responses to the question.

"If you see Kuroko, tell him I wish to speak with him." Akashi said. The group felt a shiver go down their spine. Despite the lack of change in Akashi's expression, they could feel it the dangerous emotion that was hidden underneath the seemingly calm façade.

A quiet, seething anger.

"Sure…" Aomine asked as Akashi walked off, presumably to ask the other members of the club. As Aomine watched Akashi walking off, the more he wondered what exactly happened to make Kuroko avoid Akashi to such an extent.

* * *

**Two days ago**

"Isn't it Akashi-kun's turn to meet the teacher now?" Kuroko asked when he noticed that Akashi was still in the classroom, even though his session was supposed to have started five minutes ago.

"My father insisted on talking with the teacher without me present." Akashi replied in a calm voice.

"I see… well, it's not as if the teacher has anything bad to say about you."

"Doesn't the same thing apply to you as well?"

"The reasons are different though."

"True." Akashi replied. Honestly, he didn't care what the teacher said to his father as long as it didn't involve basketball. He had already asked the teacher not to mention anything about his involvement in the basketball club and the teacher had agreed without asking too many questions.

_Hopefully, she'll keep her promise. If not, I won't be able to play anymore._

That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Just then, Kuroko's phone rang. Picking up his phone, Kuroko stared at the screen before standing up.

"Was that your guardian?" Akashi asked.

"Yes. My aunt." Kuroko replied.

"Go then. Teikou Middle is so big, she won't be able to get to this place by herself."

"I'll be back soon." Kuroko said, before jogging out of the classroom.

As soon as Kuroko left, Akashi looked at his watch. His father would probably be done soon.

_I should wait for him in the corridor then._

Standing up, Akashi left the classroom to wait outside.

_**About ten minutes later…**_

Hearing the door to the meeting room open, Akashi, who had been leaning against the corridor the whole time, stood up straight.

He saw his father shake hands with the teacher one last time before he was ushered out of the room. Then his father only glanced at him before walking down the corridor. Akashi moved to follow him. No words were exchanged between them.

As Akashi reached the end of the corridor and turned the corner, he heard a woman's voice behind him. She sounded rather excited.

"Your school is much bigger than I thought, Tetsuya!"

Akashi paused, simply because he heard Kuroko's first name being mentioned. He had forgotten to tell Kuroko that he was going to leave.

That was when he turned around, and saw the face of the person he would never see again.

And by coincidence, she happened to be looking in his direction at the same time.

For two seconds, the gazes of his mother and him met. She looked surprised at first, then happy. It looked like she might just push through the crowd of students in that corridor just to get to him.

He looked away.

_Not now._

Turning back, he sped up his steps to catch up with his father, who was already some distance away. As expected, his father didn't bother to look back. For once, Akashi was grateful for his father's cold attitude.

In the end, he left the school without speaking to his mother at all.

The next day, Kuroko started to avoid him.

* * *

"This… can't… go on." Midorima finally said, heaving too heavily to even finish a single sentence in one breath.

"For once… I agree… with you." Aomine managed to reply as they finally got to rest after another training session from hell.

"Are you guys okay?" Momoi asked in concern as she passed Murasakibara, Midorima and Aomine a water bottle each. All of them gulped down the bottle's contents and seemed to recover somewhat.

"If we don't find Kurochin soon, we might really die." Murasakibara said.

As the third day came, Kuroko, as if he sensed that Akashi was closing in on him, had finally choose to skip practice altogether by telling the coach that he wasn't feeling well. Akashi, in response, simply made their training tougher than usual.

"I don't understand why he's even letting out his frustrations on us." Midorima commented as he scanned the court and saw the other members in various states of exhaustion. Some of them had even collapsed. He turned to Aomine.

"You better go find him no matter what, or our club is doomed." Midorima ordered.

"I'll… try my best." Aomine replied. Among their whole group, he, being the closest to Kuroko, had the largest chance of finding the elusive boy.

* * *

Aomine found Kuroko in the school library during lunch break the next day. It wasn't particularly difficult for him. After all, Akashi was the one Kuroko was avoiding, not him. Sitting at the opposite end of the table, where Kuroko was currently reading a book, he said,

"I don't know what's up between you and Akashi, but if you don't go talk to him soon, the club will be in trouble."

Kuroko looked up from his book when he heard that, but didn't say anything.

Aomine stared at Kuroko.

_Did he understand what I just said, or does he think it's nonsense? Damn, I can't tell what he's thinking from that expression of his. _

"The thing is, with you avoiding Akashi, he's annoyed and taking it out on the club by making us do an unreasonable amount of training. So, I don't know what's your reason, but you should go and…"

"I understand."

"Do you really understand or not?!" Aomine exclaimed, slightly irritated at being interrupted.

"Aomine-kun, we're in the library."

Aomine took a deep breath. There was no point in losing his temper at Kuroko. No matter what, he had already achieved what he came here for.

"If you understood, then you better go look for him before practice starts." Aomine finally said before he stood up. He couldn't stand staying in the library for too long, it was suffocating.

"Okay."

* * *

Akashi stared when he saw Kuroko waiting for him outside their classroom after lessons ended. For a while, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Kuroko spoke first.

"You wanted to speak with me?"

Fifteen minutes later, they sat facing each other across the table in the club meeting room. The atmosphere in the room wasn't exactly tense, but it wasn't a relaxing one either. Perhaps 'awkward' would be a more appropriate description. Akashi decided to speak first.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked.

Almost immediately, Kuroko spoke,

"Why did you avoid your mother?"

"…you saw everything?"

"She cried when we returned home."

_Damn_

Akashi had expected his mother to react that way, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty. He definitely owned Kuroko an explanation, but before that, he was determined to have Kuroko explain his actions over the past few days.

"You haven't answered my question. Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I thought you would be angry with me."

"Why would I be angry with you?"

There was a pause, then Kuroko answered,

"I thought you might dislike me for taking your mother away from you."

"What? Please tell me you were kidding."

Kuroko didn't say anything. In fact, he seemed to be avoiding any eye contact. Akashi gave a small sigh.

"Did my mother tell you everything?"

"Yes."

"When did my mother start taking care of you?"

"Fifth grade."

"What happened to your parents?"

"…I rather not say."

Silence fell upon the room. Eventually, Kuroko spoke again.

"Why did you avoid your mother?"

It seemed like the light blue haired boy was determined to get his explanation as well. Akashi decided to oblige, to a certain extent.

"There were legal implications."

"What kind of legal implications?"

"It's complicated. I rather not explain." Akashi replied.

Another silence fell. Akashi sighed inwardly. This conversation was getting nowhere. In the end, they were just tiptoeing around each other's issues. He needed to be more direct.

"Look, just because my mother is taking care of you instead of me right now, that doesn't mean you've taken my mother away from me. In fact, I should be thanking you."

Kuroko looked up, rather surprised at what he said.

"My mother divorced my father for certain reasons, but she failed to get custody of me. If you hadn't appeared in her life, I think she wouldn't be as happy as she is now. But that being said, you're not my replacement. My mother did tell you that when she explained, didn't she?"

"Yes. I believe she was very worried I would think that way, which was why she didn't want to tell me the truth till now."

"Then I don't see what you should be worried about."

Akashi saw Kuroko give a small smile, then the light blue haired boy asked,

"Do you want to talk to your mother?"

"Didn't I tell you earlier that there were legal implications?"

"I don't mean face to face." Kuroko said before reaching into his pocket and pulling something out.

"Here." Akashi looked at the mobile phone in Kuroko's hands. Kuroko continued speaking.

"If you use my phone to call, then no one would find out."

Then he pushed his phone into Akashi's hands, picked up his bags and left the room, as if to give him some privacy.

Akashi stared at the phone in his hands, it was already set to a contact labeled 'Aunt'. All he had to do was to press the 'Call' button.

_He has his own problems, yet he has the time to look out for other people, that idiot._

Pressing the 'Call' button, he put the phone to his ear. After a few rings, he heard a familiar voice.

"Tetsuya, why did you call all of a sudden? Is everything alright?"

"Mother, it's me. I apologise for the other day…"

**Some time later…**

Kuroko turned when he heard the door open.

"Thanks." Akashi said as returned the phone. Kuroko said nothing, and simply kept his phone. Akashi locked up the club meeting room, and both of them started walking towards the gym. A short while later, Akashi spoke,

"No matter what, you still skipped club practice without valid reason, so you'll get extra laps today."

"Yes."

* * *

**pika318 (again): **If you guys are still confused, this part is totally unrelated to Unexpected Surprises. Unexpected Surprises is like one version of my theory that Akashi and Kuroko are cousins, this is another version after lots and lots of thinking, and a good dose of family drama. Despite the setting, I don't intend to make it too involved with the Rise and Fall plot either. Think of it as me trying to let off some stress? Anyway, I hope you guys like it and review lots. If you don't like it, then just ignore this interlude section, it's not important to the plot, as I said.


	6. Expulsion

**pika318: **Like I said the previous chapter, chapter 6 will be the beginning of the second year arc of the story. I have a lot of manga material to go through for this year, thanks to all the flashbacks that Fujimaki-sensei put in. I'll try my best to adhere to the facts, but sometimes I like to be a bit flexible, so I hope everyone doesn't mind too much!

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 6: **Expulsion

* * *

"The morning lessons were really harsh today!"

"So you thought so too? I thought I was the only one who couldn't follow the class."

"Why don't the both of you actually study for once, then you won't have such a hard time."

"Huh...but it's boring..."

It was lunchtime at Teikou middle school. Chatters of the students could be heard accompanied by the sounds of cultery clattering against the plates. The sounds you would expect to hear in a school cafeteria.

At one of the tables, five boys were sitting together and tucking into their lunch. They did not chat much, but when they did, it was either about their day so far or their common interest of basketball.

Overall, it looked like it was going to be a peaceful lunch, until...

A hand reached out to Kuroko's plate and took a meatball.

"Mine...meatball"

Kuroko turned around to see the meatball disappearing into Haizaki's mouth.

Almost immediately, Aomine lost his temper.

"If you're hungry, get an extra large portion or go get more food , don't go stealing other people's food everyday!"

Even as Kuroko said, "I don't particularly mind", Aomine continued to glare at Haizaki.

In response to Aomine's outburst and piercing glare, Haizaki only smirked and replied,

"Come on, it's no big deal. You steal other people's food too."

"That's different! At least I ask first!"

"He's going to say okay anyway, so what's the difference between asking or not?"

"It's basic courtesy!"

As the argument continued between the two boys, Midorima was once again lecturing Murasakibara on his eating habits.

"That's not the way you hold chopsticks. Also, don't make sounds when you're chewing, it's vulgar."

The large purple haired boy simply looked up from his food but showed no signs of changing his grip.

"But it's easier to eat like this~"

"As if!"

And the lecture continued on.

The fifth person sitting at the table simply sighed at the scene before him.

_So noisy...if I train them hard enough later, I wonder if they'll be quieter tomorrow._

"Besides, I only do it occasionally, but you steal Tetsu's food .day! Like I said earlier, if the normal everyday lunch isn't enough for you, go and order more already!"

In total contrast to Aomine's heated words, Haizaki replied with an uncaring tone,

"Do I have to say this everyday? It's not cause I'm hungry, it's just that food on other people's plates look more delicious, I can't help it."

"I don't go stealing other people's food when I'm not hungry." Aomine countered.

As if sensing either the tense atmosphere between the pair or the start to yet another neverending argument, Midorima spoke, forcefully changing the topic.

"That's right, there's a second year who's moving up to the first string today. Apparently, he started just two weeks ago."

Midorima's words caught the attention of everyone at the table. After all, besides them, no one else had been able to enter the first string that quickly.

"He has been advancing as fast as we were. His name is Kise Ryota."

Upon hearing the name, Aomine looked surprised.

"Eh?" Then he seemed to realise something.

"Ah! I know that guy too! I met him before outside the gym."

Unexpectedly, Haizaki actually looked thoughtful after hearing the name.

"Hmm...Kise Ryota...huh"

Of course, Haizaki's uncharacteristic behaviour did not go unnoticed.

"That's rare, for you to remember other people's names." Midorima commented.

"Well...it's an inkling, but just in case...sounds like he'll do well, and...doesn't sound like we will get along well."

Midorima only turned back to his food after hearing that. After all, as vice captain, he had already heard what this Kise Ryota could do and knew exactly what Haizaki meant.

Sensing that Midorima had no intention of continuing the conversation, Haizaki simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Well then, since I got what I came here for, I'll be going now."

"Don't be late for practice later." Midorima reminded.

But Haizaki had already begun moving towards the cafeteria door, showing no signs that he had heard Midorima's words.

* * *

"Why are you late again?" The coach asked as Haizaki strolled into the first string gym, not even in his practice attire.

"Huh? The teacher gave me detention. It's not like I want to be late. If you're unhappy about it, then talk to him." Haizaki replied with annoyance.

The coach looked irritated, but said, "After you warmed up, go join the other regulars in their exercises."

"Sure..." Haizaki replied before he walked towards the changing room with no intention of picking up his pace.

Midorima, who was practicing his throws nearby, watched the whole scene, an annoyed expression on his face. So Haizaki had ignored his reminder in the end. Despite what Akashi said, even after five months, he still didn't like Haizaki. Then again, no one in the club liked him. (Well, he didn't know about Akashi or Kuroko. They are the only ones in the club who had not shown any signs of it so far.)

There were many reasons for it. The first was his tendency to get into fights. Even though he had not hit any of the club members, (there was this one incident where he got into a fight with Aomine, but it got broken up before any fists flew) he had earned a notorious reputation, so the club members avoided him, not wanting to be his next target.

The second was his greedy nature. If something appealed to him, he would take it without apologies. This part annoyed him the most, because he had his lucky items taken from him a few times because of this. Haizaki even dared to snitch a few snacks from Murasakibara, at least until Akashi told him to stop it because it gets the purple haired boy into a bad mood. That was when he started taking food from Kuroko, much to Aomine's annoyance. (Kuroko himself didn't seem to mind though.)

The third and last reason was the main reason why no one in the club liked Haizaki. That guy didn't care for basketball at all. And unlike Murasakibara, he didn't care about victory either. He simply liked the process of stealing away any hopes of winning from the opponent and seeing the looks on their faces when they realised that they couldn't execute any of the skills once they were copied by him.

If it was any other club, he would have been kicked out a long time ago. The fact that Haizaki still remained was proof of the basketball club's winning is everything philosophy.

"Midorima-kun."

Midorima turned, and it took all his self control not to jump in surprise.

_How long had he been there?_

"Oh, it's you." Midorima said to Kuroko in what he hoped was a neutral tone.

"You've been staring in the direction of the locker room for a while now."

Were his actions that obvious?

"Akashi-kun will make sure that Haizaki-kun joins us for practice, so you don't have to worry."

"I wasn't worrying about anything."

"Ah, is that so?" Kuroko replied, his face neutral as usual.

There was a pause before Midorima spoke again,

"What do you think about that guy anyway?"

"That guy?" Kuroko asked

"Haizaki. He's inconsiderate, lazy and disrespectful. I can't imagine that you would like a person like him."

"...In the end, Haizaki-kun was chosen by Akashi-kun and the coach to be a starting player. Since he is here to stay, it doesn't matter whether we like him or not."

Midorima hmphed, pushing up his spectacles with his right hand. As usual, it was difficult to talk with Kuroko, especially when he is asked for his opinion in some issues. He would normally give a neutral and diplomatic answer, which in Midorima's opinion, an annoying thing. Take the current conversation for example, hearing Kuroko's reply almost made him feel like a bad person for voicing out his dislike for Haizaki.

Deciding to ignore the light blue haired boy for now, Midorima continued with his practice. Aiming for the basket, he threw the ball. And just as he calculated, it flew cleanly into the basket.

Suddenly, he felt an arm around his shoulder.

"You're still practicing even though you're so good already. Aren't you being too hardworking?"

"Get your arm off me." Midorima said as he shrugged off Haizaki's arm.

"As usual, you're so unfriendly. Can't you loosen up a bit?"

Midorima felt more and more irritated by the second. Any bystander would have clearly seen the vein threatening to burst on his head. Then...

Beep!

Everyone turned towards the sound of the whistle, which was blown by the coach.

"Everyone, gather up!"

Glaring at Haizaki one last time, Midorima moved to where the coach was standing. He stood at the front of the group, where he was expected to stand as the vice-captain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akashi stand next to him.

Once the coach saw that everyone had gathered, he started to speak,

"We have someone joining the first string starting from today. His name is Kise Ryota."

Everyone turned towards the blond, who was standing next to the coach with a cheerful look on his face.

Instantly, whispers could be heard.

"Isn't he that model our female classmates really like?"

"I heard he only joined the second string two weeks ago, to be able to advance to the first string so quickly..."

"Wow..."

The coach continued to speak,

"He's in second year, but because he is new, he will be joining the first year group. I hope all of you will get along."

This marked the beginning of an interesting second year at Teikou Basketball Club.

* * *

When Kise first told the first years whom he was training with, two of them to be exact, that he wanted to become a starting player, they thought he was crazy.

"Look, I know that you're really talented, being able to advance to the first string so quickly and all, but..." The first student, Nakamura started to say, before he was cut off by the second student, Takeda.

"Yeah, but wanting to be a starting player is really too impossible. You should just aim for just a regular position instead." He said in a serious tone, like he really meant it.

"Hmm... is it really that difficult to become a starting player?" Kise asked, his interest perked. After all, he never had any problems doing so in the previous sport clubs and he wondered how the basketball club would be any different.

Takeda gestured to the other half of the gym, where the second and third years were practicing.

"You see that group standing over there, near the coach? Those are the ones you have to surpass if you want to be a starting player."

Kise looked over to where Takeda pointed at. Immediately his attention was drawn to the tallest person in the group. He had seen this person before. It was difficult not to, given how he towered above the other students.

_How can someone even be that tall?_

He must have been gaping, because Nakamura commented,

"He's really tall for a second year student right?"

Kise nodded in reply as Nakamura continued speaking.

"That's Murasakibara. He plays center for our team. No one can compete with that sort of height around the basket after all."

Then, Takeda suddenly shifted closer to Kise before saying softly, like he was going to start some secret conversation,

"But you know, compared to the other four, Murasakibara should be the least of your worries."

"Really?" Kise asked, clearly surprised by that fact. From what he heard about basketball, he had believed that height played a huge factor in one's ability in basketball.

"Yeah, take Midorima for example. He's the one with glasses. He specialises in three pointers and can shoot from the half line and he never misses. No one has ever seen him miss. And then there's Aomine. He's the tanned one over there. Once he gets hold of the ball, very few people can stop him. And the way he shoots is crazy. It has no form or anything, so no one would know when he's planning to shoot. Even if you knew, there's no way you can stop it."

Kise wasn't surprised that Aomine was one of the starting players, seeing that it was his ability that inspired him to join the club. Even his current goal to be a starting player was so he could play on the same court as that person.

Takeda continued his introductions.

"The fourth starter is Akashi. You met Akashi before right? He's the one who talked to you right after your introduction."

"Uh...yeah." Kise replied after a pause. Honestly he didn't think too much about that conversation with the captain of the club. The red haired boy only introduced himself and directed him to the first year students. Well...there was one sentence that he said before Kise turned to join the group and start his training.

"I'm expecting a lot from you."

The way he said it gave Kise the feeling it wasn't something he said to just any newcomer. Like it was really meant for him.

Kise was brought out of his thoughts by Nakamura.

"You're so lucky. Akashi-san actually talked to you directly. If I knew that would happen, I should have joined the first string later."

"As if you had a choice in something like that." Takeda pointed out.

"One can dream right?" Nakamura said with a sigh.

Takeda rolled his eyes explained Nakamura's odd behavior.

"Apparently, Nakamura here thinks Akashi is amazing because he's able to block Aomine's shots, which is impossible for everyone else. Anyway, the last guy is Haizaki." Takeda pointed at a silver haired person standing apart from the group. "No one likes him."

Kise could sense the annoyed tone in Takeda's voice. Looks like this Haizaki wasn't really popular in the club.

"Why?"

"Well...he doesn't treat people with respect, and gets into fights all the time."

"Why is he still in the club then?" Kise asked, puzzled.

"Because he's good. Once he sees a move, he can copy it and the person he copied won't be able to use it properly afterwards...now that I think about it, you're quite similar to him, aren't you? With the copying part that is."

"Maybe if you beat Haizaki, you can be a starting player and we won't have to keep him in this club." Nakamura mused.

"You can't be serious." Takeda said with something akin to horror on his face. "Why are you even encouraging Kise to get on Haizaki's bad side? You know what happens to people who piss him off."

Hey, I was joking...

By then, Kise wasn't really listening anymore. If he and Haizaki were that similar, he would have a chance.

He smiled.

After all, it's been a while since a good challenge came by.

* * *

"Huh? What did you just say, Ryota?" Haizaki asked, his voice full of arrogance.

It was after practice for the first string members. As usual, many of the members stayed back for extra practice. Haizaki, who didn't bother with that sort of thing, was just about to leave when he was confronted by the blond haired player.

"I said, let's have a match with the position of the starting member on the line, didn't you hear?" Kise replied, ignoring the obvious scorn in Haizaki's voice.

Haizaki simply scoffed and asked in a taunting manner,

"What kind of bullshit is this, coming from a guy who just came in? In the first place, you can't even beat me during practice, what are you thinking?"

Despite Haizaki's attitude, Kise was undeterred. He was confident in his ability and having observed the five starting players during practice, he already knew that he had the highest chance of beating Haizaki. He replied without any hesitation,

"So I'm planning you beat you now. Maybe not the other four, but if it's Shougo-kun, I think I'm ready to take you down."

In response to Kise's confident declaration of challenge and the hint that he is weaker than the other starting players, Haizaki gave a small laugh.

"Ha, my reputation sure fell, can't you tell that I'm slacking off during practice?"

Then, Haizaki gave a smirk,

"Fine... I'll give you a taste of how I really play." Haizaki said as he accepted the challenge.

_I'll show this newbie who's the boss here._

Meanwhile, at the edge of the court some distance away, Midorima watched the whole scene with a displeased expression on his face. Even if it is after the club practice, their behavior was disruptive, seeing how everyone had stopped their own practice to watch. Also, he didn't approve of a new member challenging other players, especially with such a bet like the starting position. However, Akashi, standing beside him, had not moved or said anything at all to stop the match.

Just to make sure though, Midorima asked,

"Akashi, are you okay with this?"

"I'll allow it, let's see how it goes."

With the Captain's consent, the other players stood by and watched as Haizaki casually walked over to the basketball pile, picked one up and threw it to Kise, who caught it easily.

"You can go first." Haizaki said.

"Sure." Kise replied.

Then the match started. It was a normal one-on-one match that pitted the skills of each player against one another.

It ended quickly in Haizaki's favour.

Unlike the usual laziness he displayed at practice, he played with speed and precision, and despite Kise's best efforts, not only was he unable to get past Haizaki's defense, Haizaki even managed to steal the ball and score. When it was Haizaki's turn to attack, he practically annihilated Kise's defense, knocking him down easily to lazily toss the ball into the basket.

The difference in skill was too obvious. As of now, Kise had a slim chance of defeating Haizaki.

"My my." Murasakibara eventually commented as the match ended.

"Well, like I thought… it was a bit too early." Aomine said. Kise had potential, but too little experience to deal with a player like Haizaki.

"His growth speed is definitely threatening, but…" Midorima said, thinking along the same lines as Aomine. Haizaki wasn't a normal player and despite his laziness, had played in many more matches compared to Kise, who had yet to play in any official matches.

Suddenly, the relative tense atmosphere in the gym was interrupted by a girl's voice.

"Shougo-ku~n, are you done with practice?"

Responding to his name, Haizaki walked up to the girl who had just entered the gym.

"Oh~ my bad, my bad, I just got done." Haizaki said. He was just about to put his arm around her and she moved away.

"Kya! Wait… you're all sweaty!" She protested.

"I'll go take a shower right away." Haizaki said, and asked with a teasing look on his face, "Wanna come with me?"

"Oh gee-z." The girl scolded, but her tone of voice indicated that she was not that angry at all.

The other members started talking as they started to recognise her.

"Eh? Wasn't that… Kise's new girlfriend?"

Just one week ago, she had been coming to the gym to go home with Kise.

Reacting to the voices, the girl looked past Haizaki, the girl finally noticed Kise on the gym floor.

"Huh? Ryota-kun?" She asked, confusion in her voice.

"Oh—he just challenged me to a match and got owned." Haizaki explained.

"For real? Wow, so lame~." The girl commented, like she had pretty much forgotten that she had liked and dated Kise just last week.

Haizaki turned to see Kise still kneeling on the gym floor, and said with a taunting tone,

"That's how it is. See ya~ Ryota-kun."

When Haizaki and the girl left the gym, the silence left behind in the gym was almost deafening as everybody slowly realised what just transpired. Haizaki not only defeated Kise in a match, he had even stole Kise's girlfriend just to spite the blond haired boy.

"Everyone, return to your practice." Akashi spoke, as he walked towards Kise, who was slowly getting up.

Everyone else in the gym started to move to their usual spots for practice, some of them glancing towards Kise as they passed by, worried for his mental state. Some others glanced at their Captain, wondering what he was going to say as he steadily approached the lone figure in the middle of the court.

When Akashi reached Kise, who had stood up already, he said,

"You can go home for today, if you want."

At first, Kise didn't reply, looking down at his feet. Eventually, he met Akashi's eyes, such that the red haired boy could see the determination burning in them.

"No, I'll stay." Kise replied. Then he turned towards Aomine, who was preparing to face off with a few other players.

"Aomine-cchi!"

The dark blue haired boy turned around, surprised by the sudden shout.

"Huh me? And what's up with the –cchi anyway?"

"Play a match against me!"

"Ah… okay." Aomine agreed. From the way Kise was acting, he knew there was no way the blond would take "No" for an answer.

Akashi smiled at what he saw, looks like Kise would be alright after all.

* * *

Rather than being just alright, the loss against Haizaki had awakened a strong determination to improve in Kise. In the days after, Kise kept on practicing relentlessly during club hours. And after practice, he would play against Aomine whenever he could.

In contrast to Kise, who rapidly gained experience and improved over time, Haizaki remained the same, slacking off during practice and leaving right after it ended. Because of that, it wasn't surprising that the coach, as well as the rest of the club, started to see Haizaki as a less and less important member of the club. Kise was easy to get along with and displayed a strong passion for the sport, or at least, a strong passion to win. Haizaki, on the other hand, was violent and didn't seem to care about basketball at all. Slowly but surely, there were quite a few people who were starting to think of Kise as Haizaki's replacement, not that they would ever mention it in front of the person himself.

Then one day, Haizaki got into yet another fight and ended up getting detention from the teachers. It was the day Teikou Basketball club had to play a match.

"What? He can't make it to the match?" Midorima said as one of the second years, also a classmate of Haizaki told him the bad news.

"I told the teacher that we had a match today, but the teacher was really insistent on it." The second year explained.

"It doesn't matter. We don't need him for today's match."

Midorima and the second year student turned towards their captain, surprised looks on their faces.

"Come on, we're going to be late." Akashi said as he walked off, ignoring their reactions. The pair had no choice but to catch up with the rest of their team, any questions they might have asked unanswered.

* * *

The next day, Akashi called Haizaki to the third string gym after practice. As Haizaki entered the empty gym with Akashi, he asked, clearly annoyed at being held back.

"What the deal? If you want to talk to me, can't you do it during practice?"

Akashi didn't answer immediately, but closed the door to the gym instead. After stepping away from the door, he turned towards Haizaki and said,

"I'll make this short. Quit the team."

It took Haizaki a while to process what Akashi said, but when he did, anger burnt in his eyes.

"Huh?!" Haizaki shouted out as he grabbed Akashi by the front of his shirt. "Akashi, you bastard… what did you just say?!"

In response to Haizaki's rough actions, the shorter boy didn't budge, and wasn't fazed at all. He simply repeated himself.

"Quit the team. This is an order."

When Haizaki did not respond, Akashi started to explain,

"Actually, this is for your sake. Although your methods weren't particularly praiseworthy, you have been contributing to Teikou's victory until now. But you can't beat Kise. In the near future, he'll steal the spot of the starting member from you. Once that happens, a prideful guy like you will eventually disappear."

Despite Haizaki's fist tightening around his shirt, Akashi continued calmly.

"Now or later, either way the result won't change."

From Akashi's point of view, kicking Haizaki out was simply the most logical move. Rather than having Haizaki disappear on his own when he is surpassed after a uncertain amount of time, he would rather control when Haizaki leaves, so that he can dedicate more time in developing Kise after removing the obstacle standing in the way.

"Bastard…" Haizaki said through gritted teeth as his hold on Akashi tightened further. His other hand was already curled into a fist, ready to punch the smaller boy.

"Akashi-kun, are you there?"

A voice was heard from outside the gym as the door creaked open to reveal Kuroko standing behind it.

"Che!" Haizaki let go of Akashi quickly.

"I'll remember this." Haizaki said threateningly and stormed out of the gym, pushing past Kuroko as he did so, nearly making the light blue haired boy fall over had he not caught the wall in time.

As Haizaki moved out of sight, Kuroko turned to Akashi, who was straightening his shirt.

"Did anything happen between you and Haizaki-kun?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

The day after that, the members of Teikou Basketball club were told by the coach that Haizaki had been expelled. Apparently, he had gotten into a fight on the way home and had been arrested by the police. As such behaviour couldn't be tolerated in such a prestigious school, the coach had decided to cut off their ties with the delinquent as soon as possible.

And so, the fifth spot was empty again.

* * *

**pika318: **I actually took 3 months to write this… I'm so sorry for the long wait. I had to rewrite many things, even now I cringe when I think about the first draft haha. Anyway, in this chapter, Kise finally appears and Haizaki disappears from the basketball club. Of course, we all know that this won't be the last we'll see of him. I hope all of you enjoyed this and see you next chapter!


	7. Replacement

**pika318: **Hi! So with this chapter, I would be finishing the second year arc. As to why the second year arc only has two chapters while the previous first year arc had like five chapters, I would say this is because the second year of Teikou Middle School is the most elaborated year by Fujimaki-sensei (hence the large amount of manga scenes), and I simply felt that there was no need to add on any more than he already had. Anyway, I should talk less and move on to the chapter now.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 7: **Replacement

* * *

"Kise."

Kise had just entered the gym when he heard someone calling his name.

Turning towards the voice, he sighted Akashi to his right, standing near the benches. The red haired captain motioned for him to come over and Kise complied, closing the distance between them in a few strides.

"What is it, Akashi-cc- captain?" Kise asked, almost addressing Akashi by the nickname Kise had one sidedly gave him. If Akashi had noticed Kise's near lapse, he didn't comment on it, choosing to talk about his purpose for calling Kise over.

"I'm assigning you a personal instructor."

Upon hearing that, Kise turned curious. A personal instructor? Was he being singled out for some reason?

Akashi continued speaking, explaining his reasons,

"I acknowledge that you have been improving very rapidly. But it's still a fact that you have joined later then the other students."

Kise opened his mouth, intending to tell his captain that he could already beat some of the second and third years easily, but what Akashi said next made the words die in his throat.

"I'm not saying that you are lacking in ability. It's something more important than that."

"And…what would that be, exactly?" Kise asked nervously, thinking that he was in for a lecture. However, Akashi only answered,

"As for that, I'll let you find out on your own. That is what your personal instructor is for."

With that sort of answer, Kise found himself wondering about the identity of his instructor. He assumed that for someone to be able to teach him, they would have to be at least at a similar level of skill, which eliminated quite a large number of people.

Would it be Aomine, who he trained with on a regular basis, or maybe Midorima, simply because he seemed like the teaching type.

As he was lost in his own speculations, he was brought back to reality by Akashi speaking.

"Ah Kuroko, you came at the right time. I was looking for you."

Kise turned around and saw the light blue haired boy standing behind him. Honestly, he only had a vague impression of Kuroko. He was Aomine's friend, but from what Kise remembered of him, Kuroko wasn't that skilled in basketball at all. It was a mystery how he ended up in first string.

"You wanted to speak with me?" Kuroko asked.

"It's about what we discussed earlier. I think you can start from today." Akashi said.

Kuroko turned to Kise then and after seemingly studying him with the same expressionless face, he asked,

"Akashi-kun, are you sure about this?"

"I believe you'll be able to do a good job." Akashi answered, with a hint of an encouraging smile on his face.

As Kise looked between the two members and listened to their conversation, his mind had slowly started to put two and two together. Even then, what he heard later still came as a big shock.

"Kise, Kuroko will be your personal instructor starting from today."

_What?_

* * *

"Sorry, I didn't see you."

_No presence._

"You've only ran half of what the others did. Surely you can do one more round."

_No stamina._

"Time. 10 seconds."

_No speed._

"I passed you ten times already. "

"I'll stop you this time."

"Sure, sure."

_No skill._

"How can you miss an unguarded layup!"

_No aim._

"Why the hell are you attempting to dunk?!"

"I just thought I should try it once, Aomine-kun."

"You're too short!"

"Midorin, don't be so mean!"

_Obviously can't dunk._

"Tetsu, you might just reach your toes this time."

"You think so?"

"Why is someone like him a regular?!" Kise finally shouted out, all the frustration accumulated from the previous days condensed into one sentence.

"It's rude to point at people like that." Aomine chided, but Kise ignored that and continued speaking, directing his next question at the dark skinned boy,

"If the two of us were to play against each other, who do you think would win?"

"You, of course." Aomine answered, without any hesitation.

"Then why..." Kise started to ask again when he was interrupted by Aomine.

"Look, Tetsu is special, you can't use your yardstick to judge him."

Glancing back at Kuroko, he added, "He may look like that, but in match, he's really reliable, you'll see."

However, no matter how much Kise wanted to believe the words of the person he admired, he did not 'see'. The smaller boy was simply too weak to make him believe that fact. Sometimes, he even wondered if Akashi was simply making fun to him because the red haired captain thought he was too full of himself and needed to be taken down a peg or two. Akashi did, after all, tell Kise that he had to learn something more important than just improving his basketball skills.

_Don't tell me that it's actually this. How to get along with someone who doesn't match up to your expectations._

Just then, Kise heard Midorima's voice from behind.

"Kuroko, Kise, both of you got an order from the coach."

"What is it?" Kuroko asked.

"You two are helping the second string in their next training game."

"Second string? For what reason?" Kise asked, surprised by the strange request.

"Insurance. It's common here that first string players help out the second and third string." Midorima anwered. Then, seeing the doubtful expression on Kise's face, he continued,

"Remember it well. Teikou's most important doctrine is to be victorious. Losing is unforgivable. Criticising is for when you have won."

"Hoo- is that so?" Kise said in reply. He had always suspected it, but the Teikou Basketball Club was really different from all the other sports clubs he had joined in Teikou Middle. Sure, all the clubs wanted to win their matches, but the Basketball Club seemed especially obsessed about it.

"Don't look like it doesn't concern you. In the case you should lose, you'll be put into the second string." Midorima said, annoyed by Kise's relaxed attitude.

"Geh."

_Looks like I would have to take it seriously after all._

"Let's do our best, Kise-kun." Kuroko said, trying to encourage the blond player. After all, this would be one of the rare chances he could get to play in a match, especially since he had not become a starting player.

"Uh, yeah…"

_Would it be okay with just the both of us? I mean, I'm sure I would do okay in the match, but this guy is… really too weak._

Unbeknownst to Kise, his thoughts about Kuroko would undergo a drastic change that fateful day.

* * *

The next day, Kise and Kuroko skipped practice for the first string to join the second string members for the match. While walking to the venue, Kise took the chance to survey the members of the second string. All of them looked like decent players, and their numbers spoke much about the actual size of the Teikou Basketball Club. However, after looking at the whole group, in the end, the person is looked most out of place is…

_The guy beside me. Our elite, a regular of the first string, actually looks the weakest in appearance. That totally doesn't make sense!_

Then, he thought of something. If he took the bait, it could be his fastest way to rise in the ranks.

"Kuroko-kun, I have an idea…"

"What is it?"

"If it happens that we get on the court in this game, want to see if you can score more points? And if I win, I get your uniform."

However, he was instantly rejected.

"Dun wanna. But what if we lose the game?"

"We still could count the poin- dun wanna!?" Kise said, only comprehended halfway through the sentence that he had been rejected due to the suddenness of the answer.

"It's pointless."

"Huh?"

"It's not my style, but I am still your instructor, so let me say something. What is the most important for the team is you thinking what you should do for the team."

_What you should do?_

No matter how Kise thought about Kuroko's words, he still couldn't understand its meaning. However, he didn't have that much free time to think about it for now. As they were talking, they had reached the gym and the second string was already a flurry of activity as they put down their belongings to prepare for the match while listening to the coach's orders. The other school was already there, ready to play.

Then, fifteen minutes later, the match began.

* * *

Three quarters into the game, and Teikou was trailing 48-69. It wasn't as if the second string was that weak, but the other school was also a traditional powerhouse and the referee was also part of their school, so he had overlooked some things that would have been a penalty in an official match. Either way, Teikou was in big trouble.

Just then, Kise felt a hand on his shoulder.

"…Kise." The coach said, signalling that it was his turn to play.

"Player change for Teikou."

_They're not changing in the both of us. Well, not that it's really needed. I doubt Kuroko would be of much help right now._

But in the end, it was still not good enough. The other team, knowing that Kise is from the first string, simply concentrated their strongest defence on him, and even with his best efforts, but the time it was the fourth quarter, Teikou was still trailing at 61-75.

_Shit, the point gap is getting too big. I don't want to lose like this, damn it._

Kise thought in frustration. Then…

"Player change for Teikou."

"Eh?! Change… him?!" The audience cried out in surprise as Kuroko entered the court.

"You brought out quite a tiny one! Can that brat even play?"

Ignoring all the yells, Kuroko walked up to Kise and said,

"Sorry, please help me."

"Eh? Should I be the one saying that?!" Kise asked. After all, he was the one having trouble, and Kuroko was changed in to help all of them somehow.

"I am the Shadow. The Light taking the points will be you, Kise-kun."

Then the match resumed. Kise, however, was still in doubt. In the little time they had left, what could Kuroko possibly do to turn the tide in their favour?

_He sounded pretty confident, but what can a shorty like him do? …wait! He isn't even getting guarded, what the heck!_

Then, all of a sudden, the ball was in his hands.

_What?_

"Wha-" he managed to vocalise even as the other team looked stunned. The entire court fell silent, stunned by the turn of events.

Luckily, before anyone else on the court could react, Kise recovered his wits and threw the ball. It went through the basket, scoring hard earned points for Teikou.

Then, everyone finally reacted, disbelieving shouts filling up the gym.

"What was that-!?"

That was when Kise realised it. Kuroko had made use to his weak appearance, throwing his opponents off guard, and acted as a relay point for passes. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a playing style.

_Is that even possible!?_

"Don't avert your gaze from the ball. Because of this gap, I have to be serious."

In the end, with the combined efforts of Kuroko and Kise, Teikou closed the gap, and even managed to win 83-81. It was a close shave, but a win nevertheless. As they were on their way back to school, Kise felt an immense sense of relief, they haven't lost, so he didn't have to go to the second string after all. At the same time, he had also realised something.

"I think… I got a bit of what you said. But not everything, still." Kise said to Kuroko, as the light blue haired boy looked over in response. Kise continued, explaining his conclusion.

"The part about what one should do is alright, but sacrificing oneself for it? I can't agree with that! I know you're amazing, Kuroko-cchi…but is it fun to play like that?" Kise asked, wanting to know more about the boy's mentality, or motivation behind such a playing style.

"It's not."

"…"

"But losing is even less fun." Kuroko added, with a small smile on his face.

With that, Kise found himself gaining a newfound respect for the smaller boy, and he even started to understand what Aomine meant by what he had said earlier. Almost immediately, he felt bad about doubting Kuroko in the first place. He was wrong, and for once, he was glad he was.

"Besides, what's with Kuroko-cchi?"

"A nickname I add to people I like."

"Stop that."

It was the birth of a new friendship.

* * *

_Two weeks later, two months after Kise joined the First String_

"I just received orders from the coach. I will now announce the starting members for tomorrow's match."

"Number four, Akashi Seijuro. Number six, Aomine Daiki. Number seven, Midorima Shintarou. Number five, Murasakibara Atsushi. And the fifth member is…"

Everyone gathered held their breath as Akashi was about to announce the last name, hoping that finally, they will get their chance to be the fifth starting member.

"Number eight, Kise Ryota. "That is all. There is no change for the remaining bench members. Furthermore, while there may be exceptions depending on the situation, from now on, we will primarily be suing these five members." Akashi explained, ending his announcement.

"Yesss! I'm finally a starter!" Kise cheered, even as Midorima was quick to point out his verbal mistakes.

"What do you mean finally? On the contrary, it's too soon."

"Don't slow us down Kise." Aomine added, even as he smiled happily for Kise's achievement.

"Noo problem!" Kise answered happily as he turned to Kuroko.

"This is all due to Kuroko-cchi's enthusiastic training." Kise acknowledged happily.

"I didn't actually teach you any basketball you know." Kuroko replied. But seeing the happy look on Kise's face, he decided to let it slide with a small sigh.

_Congratulations, Kise-kun._

* * *

**pika318: **And I am done with the chapter! Or at least the main body of it. While planning this chapter, I was already aware that it will be short. So in the next section (after these notes), I will do the same as chapter five, and write some short story (or stories) to talk about little incidents that happened in the rest of their second year. I will write some short notes explaining the background behind each short story though, so you won't be too lost, because they are really random ones.

* * *

**Punishment**

**Background: **In Replace Novel I, Akashi asked Momoi to take Kuroko straight back home because he had a wrist injury. But because of the other guys, namely Aomine, Kise, Midorima and Murasakibara, they ended up going to the arcade and met up with some delinquents etc etc to the point where in order to help a junior from their club, Kuroko and the others ended up playing street basketball with the delinquents despite Kuroko's injured wrist. Knowing Akashi, he would obviously find out right? Especially since they saved a junior from their club. This is the aftermath.

* * *

"Huff, huff."

"Huff, huff."

It was already late evening, but instead of going home or staying back in the indoor gym for more practice like the rest of the basketball club, six of these members were running laps around the school.

"Remind me why we're doing this again…" Aomine said, at the head of the group.

"Because instead of allowing Momoi-cchi to bring Kuroko-cchi back home like Akashi-cchi said, we loitered around the arcade and even played basketball, even though Kuroko-cchi wasn't supposed to." Kise answered from behind Aomine.

"I wonder how Aka-chin found out~ I did promise Kuro-chin to keep it a secret." Murasakibara asked, asking the question that had been on everyone's minds.

"Who knows? I rather not find out." Midorima answered, his tone obviously showing his annoyance at being punished over an agreement between Momoi and Akashi that he did not know too much about.

"Then again…" Aomine said as he looked back, where Kuroko was trailing behind them some distance away. "Why is Tetsu get punished with us anyway? It's not as if it was actually his fault Satsuki got distracted from her job."

"It's because Kuroko played basketball when he was still injured and not supposed to. Didn't you listen to Akashi just now?"

"Well… it was such a long lecture, I blanked out halfway." Aomine admitted, even as Kise looked equally guilty.

"Hey, Tetsu!" Aomine called, "Are you okay back there? You're kinda slowing down."

All of them heard a soft reply.

"We just started, so I am still fine. I'm only slowing down because of…" Kuroko said halfway, before looking behind him as well.

"Wait up guys… huff… argh… why do I have to run too…" Momoi called in a rather small voice even further away.

Everyone sighed. This was going to be a long evening.

* * *

**Lucky item**

**Background: **Not much explanation for this, since Midorima's lucky items have long been a running joke in Kuroko no Basuke, even in the stories that came with the character CDs. Moko-chan and I had this random thought one day about strange items Midorima could bring to a match, and this is the result.

* * *

The opponents of Teikou Middle School should have been really tense, seeing that they were against a team with a continuous winning streak. But instead, they were pointing and whispering to each other, and some were even laughing out loud.

Looking away from their opponents, Kuroko turned his attention to his own teammates, studying their reaction. Kise was clutching his stomach and making no effort to hide how amused he was by the whole situation. Aomine, on the other hand, was simply gaping and staring. Murasakibara seemed indifferent about it and Momoi was pretending it didn't exist at all.

The cause of all these reactions? Midorima's lucky item.

The item was essentially a hugging pillow. Because of the picture on it, a red eyed young girl with her blond hair tied into two ponytails with black satin ribbons, wearing an elementary school swimsuit, it had caught a lot of attention.

Akashi had not said anything about it so far, though Kuroko did see him pale considerably when he first set eyes on the item. To be able to cause their normally calm captain to react that way, Kuroko had to give Midorima a few points. However, seeing Akashi walk up to Midorima, Kuroko deduced that he had finally decided to take action.

"Shintarou." Akashi called, catching Midorima's attention.

"What?"

"What is that?" Akashi asked. Kuroko detected the near disgusted tone in Akashi's voice.

"It's my lucky item." Midorima answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I believe that's an anime Dakimura. Kato-kun told me about them once." Kuroko decided to explain when it seemed like Midorima wasn't going to provide the answer.

Akashi showed no signs that he had heard, instead he ordered,

"Get rid of it."

"I can't do that. My luck is bad today, and I even had to borrow this from a classmate. That's because Oha-Asa said that the only way to counteract that bad luck was to get an item which keep lonely boys compa…"

"Atsushi." Akashi called, ignoring Midorima's explanation altogether.

"Yes~?"

"Get rid of that."

"Sure~" The purple haired boy said, and pulled the offending item out of the shocked Midorima's hands, throwing it out of the gym window. It disappeared into the distance even as Midorima shouted "Nooooo!" in the background.

"Akashi-what did you do that for?! I won't be able to play well without it!" Midorima shouted angrily at his captain. His fists were clenched, and it looked like he might just punch Akashi any moment. Their team members looked on, not wishing to interfere in a dispute between the captain and vice-captain, yet dreading what might happen next, given the tense atmosphere.

"Shintarou."

"What now?!"

"You're benched for the whole match today. That's an order." Akashi said, his tone of voice indicating that his decision was final. Midorima gaped, and his mouth opened and closed a few times after that, like he wanted to say something, yet his tongue had failed him. Eventually, he complied, sinking down onto the bench. To all the onlookers, it seemed like his soul had left him with that final blow.

Watching the whole scene unfold, Kuroko couldn't help but feel sorry for Midorima.

* * *

_After the match, in the changing room,_

"Luckily we were able to win even without Midorima-cchi playing, but has anyone seen him at all?" Kise asked, looking around the room.

"I don't think he followed us after the match." Momoi answered. "Then again, I don't think I see Tetsu-kun either…"

"Me neither… do you think Midorima-cchi went to find his lucky item?" Kise asked, looking slightly worried.

"Most probably… and you know, I have this strong suspicion that Tetsu-kun went to help him look."

"Then we should help too!" Kise suggested.

"Yeah…" Momoi agreed.

It took her only a short while to gather both Murasakibara and Aomine, explaining to them the situation and asking them for help. Aomine had grumbled a bit, and only agreed when he heard that Kuroko could be helping Midorima already.

Just as the four of them were about to leave the room, they were stopped by Akashi.

"Where are all of you going?"

"Huh? We're going to help the four eyes find that item of his." Aomine answered.

"He did borrow it from a classmate and everything…" Momoi added.

There was a pause as Akashi stared at the group, then eventually, he said,

"I'm going with you."

* * *

With some deduction skills and luck, it didn't take the group that long to find the missing pair, then after a short lecture from Akashi about informing people about their whereabouts, they worked together to find the missing item, which was nowhere near the area where it should have landed after it was thrown out.

One hour of searching later, they found it in the possession of a high school student. When Midorima asked for it to be returned, the high school student refused.

"Do you know how rare this item is, there's no way I'm going to give this Fate Testarossa-chan to you!"

"It was mine in the first place! Well… not exactly, but I borrowed it from a friend." Midorima explained, as nicely as he could.

"It was in the bushes and everything! How could it be yours?" the high school student countered and he seemed very reluctant to even let go of it.

In the end, as though he was fed up by the whole situation, Akashi resorted to some…drastic measures to get the item back. And so, everything ended well.

After this traumatic incident, Midorima prayed that Oha-Asa would not state such dubious lucky items ever again.

* * *

**Handphones**

**Background: **So after reading the novel story "What if the GOM were in Yukatas", which is a story about their Summer Festival, I suddenly found out that even in their second year of middle school, only Kise had a cellphone. That sort of nulled whatever I had written in chapter 5 in the meantime, so please kindly take that as an AU please. Anyway, after reading that, I thought up this short story, which more or less explains how the rest of the GOM got their cell phones.

* * *

"You know…maybe the rest of you should think about getting cell phones." Kise said at lunch, causing the other six people at the table to look up at him.

"Whatever for?" Midorima asked.

"I was just thinking back to the events over the summer and it suddenly struck me how much easier things would be if all of you had a cell phone on you, that's all." Kise explained. "Like the time during the Summer Festival, if we had phones, then we could have at least called each other instead of waiting around, or worse, gone off looking for people by themselves."

Momoi sighed, Kise had a point. If she didn't go looking for Kuroko by herself, then she wouldn't have gotten cornered by those thugs, gotten the rest involved, and spoiling their Summer Festival outing by having to spend most of it at the police station.

"More importantly, there's still the time during the training camp when some of us got lost in the forest and there wasn't any way to contact you." Kise added.

"Shut up, Kise." Aomine said, though he sounded embarrassed. Though Midorima had not said anything, he pushed up his spectacles in response, like he was trying to hide something.

"Ryota does have a point." Akashi commented, thinking back to the time the coach had almost lost his soul when he realised that two of the regulars had gone missing.

"And it just so happens that the cell phone shop nearby is holding a student only discount too." Kise elaborated. "Isn't it the right time to get one?"

"Isn't there something we need to fill in?" Momoi asked.

"Well, there is a parental consent form. We can go to the shop after school to get some." Kise answered.

"Well, I guess I can talk to my parents about it tonight." Momoi said. Now that Kise explained his reasons, it did make sense to get a cell phone after all. She looked at Aomine, who grumbled his consent.

"I'm fine with it." Akashi answered.

"I'll talk to them, but don't get your hopes up." Midorima agreed.

"Sure~" Murasakibara answered in a carefree manner.

"I will try." Kuroko said.

With that settled, they went to the shop after practice to collect the forms. Then it was time to talk to their parents.

* * *

"I thought you have enough money to buy your lucky items already." Midorima's mother said when he first mentioned the possibility of getting a phone over dinner.

"It's not meant to be a lucky item. I'm planning to use it." Midorima explained.

"Oh really?" His mother asked, looking genuinely surprised. Even his father, who hadn't said anything so far, looked surprised. In the end though, it was his younger sister who spoke first.

"Wow, brother finally has friends."

"Hey!"

"It's not as if I'm wrong, right? You never needed one before, and even said no when mum asked if you wanted one when you started middle school. So the reason you want one now is because you have people to call, or other people who want to call you?" His sister reasoned, grinning as she did so.

"Is it a girl?" His mother asked, suddenly sounding excited.

"No! And those people aren't my friends."

"That's settled. Brother finally found people who can tolerate his hobby. He has friends!" His sister declared triumphantly.

"Didn't I tell you..."

"Oh I know you're always a bit of a tsundere." His sister countered.

"What are they like?" His mother asked, curious about the people who can put up with her son's strange habit. His father seemed to be waiting for the answer as well, given his posture.

"They're...I wanted to ask for permission to buy a phone, not for you to ask about my life." Midorima replied, stopping himself from explaining anything about his club mates.

"Well...if you want to get a phone, you need to tell us the reason, you know. It does have something to do with those friends of yours right?" His father asked. It was obvious that he was determined to wrestle an answer out of his son no matter what.

For a while, Midorima contemplated forgoing the explanation and the phone altogether, but once he thought about how annoying a certain blond would get if he failed to get permission, or worse, to be the only person in the whole group without one, he passed on the thought.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"They're my club mates from basketball. We thought of getting phones together so we can keep in touch." He finally explained quickly, determined to get it over and done with.

"Ah I see, then I don't see the problem with that." His mother said.

"Come to think of it, you're the vice-captain, so you do need to call a few people on your club sometimes right? Then it's fine. Just pass us the form later." His father said, agreeing.

"Then when can I get a phone too?" His sister asked excitedly, sensing some sort of opening.

"I'll ask you when you start middle school."

"Ehh..."

* * *

"Can't you just use the landline if you need a way to contact Daiki-kun? Unless you're looking to make your conversations more private?" Momoi's mother asked with a glint in her eye.

"Mom...I'm not getting a phone just to call Daiki you know."

"Oh...so which guy is it then?"

"It has nothing to do with a guy!" Momoi shouted in frustration. "Okay, maybe it has something to do with some guys…" she added after a while.

"There's more than one involved?!" Now her mother looked shocked.

"Mom...if you haven't realised it yet, I am the manager of a boys' basketball club. There are times which I need to contact some of them and having a cell phone with me just makes it more convenient, that's all."

"Oh…is that so?" Her mother asked, disappointment clear in her voice. Then she added,

"How about Daiki-kun?"

"Huh, what about him?" Momoi asked, confused at the sudden mention of her childhood friend.

"Is he getting a phone too?"

"He's probably asking today too."

"Ohhh, and how do you know that?" Her mother asked, sounding a lot more interested suddenly.

"Because all the starters in our club agreed to get a phone if they didn't have one already. It'll be easier to keep in touch." Momoi answered, determined not to give her mother any wrong ideas.

"That's all? Then I better make sure he gets one too, so that both of you are constantly on touch. I'll hate to see both of you grow distant just because you'll be able to communicate with other guys more easily than him."

"Mom..." Momoi said in exasperation. Though she was glad to have gotten approval, her mother's determination to be matchmaker made her quite insufferable at times.

* * *

"I'm thinking of getting a cell phone."

"Okay sure."

"That's it?" Aomine asked his mother. What happened to all the questions she tended to ask every time he wanted to buy something new?

"Well, you still need to tell your father when he gets back home from work, and pass him the form later, but I'm okay with it."

"No, I mean...aren't you going to ask me why I'm getting it like you always do?" Aomine clarified.

"You're actually asking to get something that's not basketball related for once, so it must be important, right? Of course I won't ask you the reason."

"Huh..." Aomine said, obviously confused, but chose not to pursue the matter further. After all, he did get the permission he needed from his mother, and that was good enough.

As Aomine returned to his room, his mother smiled. Her son must be confused, but there was no way she was going to tell him that she had only agreed so easily because she had already gotten a call from the mother of his childhood friend explaining the current situation.

* * *

"You want...a cell phone?" His father asked as he read through the form that his son passed to him.

"That's right." Murasakibara said as he sat at the counter where his parents were cleaning up after closing down their sushi shop for the day.

His parents stared at each other. It was so rare of their son to ask for anything besides food that for a while, they did not know how to react at all.

Murasakibara however, took their silence to mean something else.

"Does that mean no?" He asked, disappointment plain in his voice. That brought them out of their moment of surprise.

"No no, we don't mean anything like that!" His father quickly denied. "It's just that..."

"Yes?"

"Why do you need a cell phone?" His father asked.

"Ah...Kise-chin suggested that we get phones so we can keep in contact with one another. So everyone else is getting one as well."

"Okay." His mother said. "But you know, we do have to pay the phone bills and all."

"Is that so...?"

"So if you use it responsibly, we are okay with it."

The moment the word _responsibly_ left her mouth, his mother knows they had a slight problem. Their son wasn't exactly that attentive of a person.

_What if he loses the phone? Then again, if I refuse to buy one for him in case he loses it, then he'll never learn how to be responsible...not to mention he actually has friends who want to keep in contact with him now._

"We'll let you get the phone." His mother finally said as she made her decision after sorting out her thoughts, "But you would need to keep it safe and not lose it. If you do, we're not getting you another."

"Okay~"

"And you need to cut back on your snacks too." His father added.

"What?" The one who asked this was surprisingly not Murasakibara, but the mother.

"Look, he already spends all his allowance on food. If we need to support his phone bills too, and we have only so much to give, it makes sense to cut down on his snack allowance right?"

Hearing that, Murasakibara's first impulse was not to get the phone after all. But then, after thinking about it again, it would be really lonely if he was the only one in the group without a cell phone.

The conflict must have showed on his face, because his mother glared at her husband and said, "We'll still get you your phone without cutting your allowance, and if we can still handle the costs when the bill comes in one month later, then we might not touch your allowance after all. So use it responsibly okay?"

"Sure~"

* * *

When Kuroko sat down at the dinner table, his aunt already knew that something was on his mind. His facial expression did not show much, but the way he acted gave it away. How he seemed a bit more tense than usual, or how he avoided eye contact with her. He also hadn't started on his food even though she was already eating, but that happened so often lately that she wasn't sure if it could be used as a good indicator anymore. She decided to ask anyway.

"Is there something wrong?"

Kuroko paused ever so slightly in his movements as he reached for his utensils, but answered quickly.

"No, there is nothing wrong."

"Hmm...is that so? You don't seem alright to me though. You're acting strange."

There was a short silence at the table as she patiently waited for the answer that must be formulating in her nephew's mind. Then, he finally spoke,

"Is it okay...if I get a cell phone?"

Maybe it was the tone he used when he asked the question, or the slight hesitation when he did so, but it was as if he was fully prepared for her to say no.

So she laughed. A cheerful laugh that lasted a few seconds, earning her a strange look from Kuroko.

"Tetsu-chan," she said when she finally stopped her laughter, "we've been living under the same roof for a few years now, and yet the way you speak is exactly the same when we first met. We aren't strangers anymore. You don't have to act so nervously around me."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize when it's not something bad. That's the first step to creating distance between two people. Understand?" She said kindly.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." She said cheerfully. Then she continued,

"About the phone, you can have one. It's for keeping in contact with your school mates right?"

"How did you know?" Kuroko asked, slightly surprised.

"Well, knowing you, you wouldn't ask for one because of any trivial reasons, so that was the only reason that seemed possible."

"Would the phone bills be too much of a burden?" Kuroko asked in concern.

"I wouldn't have agreed if they were, Tetsu-chan. It's a student plan, so it's not that much of a strain on our finances. Besides, I know you would use it responsibly. Is there anything I need to look at?"

"There is a form that needs to be signed." Kuroko answered.

"Pass it to me later then."

Kuroko nodded, then he said,

"Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." She replied, smiling, happy to slightly close the distance between Kuroko and herself.

_Now if only I can get him to speak more casually to me..._

* * *

"Father, I'm going to buy a cell phone."

The intended recipient of his words did not even look up from his desk.

"I can pay the phone bills myself." Akashi continued. Then he waited.

The silence in the study stretched on for a long while, and only the sound of pen on paper could be heard, then,

"If you have already decided, then don't consult me in the first place." His father said, annoyance clear in his voice. He had not looked up from his work at all.

"I need parental consent to get one." Akashi explained, holding out the form. He didn't put it on his father's desk though, he knew his boundaries. Crossing it would only get him on his father's bad graces, and that was the last thing he needed.

Another pause. Then, his father glanced upwards, took the form from him, signed it and pushed it across the desk. And that was it, the whole process didn't even take five seconds and no questions were asked. Akashi knew he didn't even bother to read the contents of the form.

Akashi took the form. His father had returned to his work, his body language making it clear that he did not wish to be bothered again. In this state, Akashi knew that even saying a polite "Thank you" would earn him any icy stare. So he simply turned around, opened the door and left quietly.

* * *

"So which model are all of you getting?" Kise asked as all of them entered the store.

"I'm thinking that one." Momoi answered as she pointed at one of the flip phones. It was one of the models available under the student deal.

Everyone looked at the model she had pointed to. It was simple and functional, as well as within their budget.

"And you know what's the best thing about it?" Momoi asked.

"What is it?" Kise asked, curious.

"It comes in the colours that represents our names! Look!" Momoi explained at she pointed at the chart that detailed the colours which the phone model came in.

"I don't see any black though." Aomine commented, obviously thinking about Kuroko's name.

"It does come in light blue though…" Murasakibara commented.

"Ah, it matches your eyes, Tetsu-kun." Momoi added.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Well? It's okay if we get this phone right? Then we can have matching phones!" Momoi suggested, obviously excited at the thought of having the same models, but different colours, like it would be something signifying their friendship.

"I'm okay with that. It's quite a decent phone model." Akashi agreed. The rest also nodded their consent.

One hour later, the seven of them walked out of the phone store, brand new phones in hand. In each of their phones, six new contacts were already added.

* * *

**pika318: **Hi, it's me again. I hoped you enjoyed the short stories! The third one took me the most effort because I wanted to use this chance to reveal some information about their families (I know I missed out Kise, I'm sorry. If you want to know my thoughts on this, I believe he has an older sister who's also in the modelling business.) I know I haven't updated in months, but I hope those who are still reading can give me some sign that you still exist, because I don't plan to give up on this story no matter how difficult it will get writing about the latter half of second year third year since there is next to nothing in terms of official material.


	8. Broken Spirit

**pika318: **Warning, quite a big time skip ahead and possible wrong facts if I'm proven wrong in future. That's because the manga did not specify when they started their 3 championship win which got the GOM known as the GOM, and it also conveniently left out the Nationals, which I will include here. It's totally possible that once the manga continues, this fanfic will turn out absolutely wrong and filled with plot holes that don't match the original material, but I'm willing to take that risk, so please bear with me.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

**Chapter 8: **Broken Spirit

* * *

The Winter Tournament of their second year was the competition where the starters of Teikou Basketball Club made their debut as the Generation of Miracles to the public.

The term "Generation of Miracles" isn't anything new. Those in the club have taken to calling the starters as such even during the beginning of their second year, even before Kise Ryota had joined the team, since they haven't lost before. But the fact that the term was accepted so easily was strange.

If one thought about it carefully, Teikou Basketball Club was considered elite in the middle school basketball scene. In addition, it wasn't even the first time the starters had played together. They had done so in the earlier Nationals, and had even won.

So what was so special about the Winter Tournament to make them gain such recognition?

The answer, to put it simply, was the point gap. During the Nationals, the point gap between their points and those of their opponents have been acceptable and the audiences at the semi-finals and finals could see that winning the matches was a challenge, which was expected when you pit two national level teams against one another. However, during the Winter Tournament, it was as if the starters of Teikou Basketball Club had undergone a drastic transformation. They breezed through the preliminaries, with their scores doubling or even tripling their opponents' scores. Even during the finals, their opponent did not stand a chance. They had dominated the tournament.

In the aftermath of their flawless and overwhelming performance, some of the stunned audience heard the Teikou Basketball Club members address their starters as the Generation of Miracles. That was how everything started. In the span of a few days, these boys became famous within the basketball scene. Rumors say that top high schools have already started head hunting these young talents...

"These articles are getting ridiculous. It's not as if you guys are getting scouted already." Momoi commented as she put down the basketball magazine, containing yet another article about her friends.

"Yeah, all we did was win the tournament, and it blew up to something like this." Aomine agreed.

"The coach had to chase out a lot of reporters since they had no authorisation." Momoi said, "I'm surprised that you guys haven't got cards printed of you yet, like those baseball ones." She added in sarcasm.

"I did get a lot more fans though. My agency is having trouble keeping up with the demand for my photo collection album."

"Shut up Kise." Aomine growled, annoyed that the blond seemed to be the only one who benefited directly from all the attention. But Kise continued speaking anyway,

"You know, with this, we might really become the number 1 team in Japan together. Or at least we're one step closer to it."

At Kise's mention of being number 1, everyone thought back to the promise they have made on their way home from the Winter Tournament.

_Let's become number 1 in Japan together._

"I wonder if we can really do it." Aomine mused. "Assuming that we're able to continue this winning streak through Middle School, there's still high school after this, and I heard their standard is really different."

Everyone stared at Aomine like he had grown a second head.

"What?"

"Nothing...I just never expected that such a thick headed idiot like you could even get worried about things like this." Midorima replied, his answer as cutting as usual.

"It's not like Aomine-kun to act this way." Even Kuroko was agreeing, and that meant something.

"I just want to continue playing with everyone, that's all." Aomine admitted, a faint blush on his face.

"That's so sweet." Momoi said in a teasing voice, only serving to make Aomine blush a little more.

"We'll think about it when we get there." Akashi said. "For now, we should just focus on improving ourselves. And winning the next tournament."

Everyone at the table agreed with a small smile of their own. Akashi was right. They should focus on getting better first before considering their future in high school. After all, they still had one more year, and given their performance right now, it was highly unlikely that they were going to stop practicing and playing together as starters before that.

* * *

"How was your match with Teikou Middle the other day?"

"Do you even have to ask? We lost, obviously. 86 to their score that was more than 180."

"You don't seem bothered though."

"Why should I? Playing against Teikou Middle nowadays is like being put on execution. If you don't accept your loss, it'll just be more painful. I rather spare myself the hurt. And you know, I even heard that some other school only scored 40 plus points. Compared to that, I would say my team did really well..."

The two friends continued speaking, so engrossed they were in their conversation that they failed to notice the two people who they just passed as they passed a smaller side path.

In the quiet of the evening, their conversation had been clearly heard by the pair who were about to exit the side path. The shorter boy turned to glance at his friend and teammate to see if he had been affected, but saw nothing unusual. For a while, they walked in silence until the taller boy spoke.

"Say Tetsu, what those guys were saying earlier...does it bother you?"

"Not really." Kuroko replied.

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why doesn't it bother you?"

"Because there's nothing wrong with winning after giving it your all."

"Is that so?"

There was a pause as Aomine fell silent. He appeared to be deep in thought.

"Aomine-kun, is there anything wrong?" Kuroko finally asked in concern.

"Huh, oh it's nothing. Don't worry about it." Aomine answered with a smile, trying to reassure Kuroko. But having known the taller boy for a long time, Kuroko wasn't fooled at all. Aomine also knew his reassurance tactic had not worked, because his cheerful facade fell away quickly.

"After hearing that, I wonder if we're doing the right thing. Winning is great and all, but it feels wrong somehow."

"Are you suggesting that we lose?" Kuroko asked.

"What? Of course not! But...argh it's so hard to explain. It's like we're killing their passion for basketball."

"I believe that's their personal choice. If they decided that basketball isn't fun anymore and give up, then as their opponents, we can't do anything to change their mind." Kuroko stated. Inwardly, he knew that he was somehow being unfair. After all, any normal person would cease to have fun with a certain activity or hobby when they failed to accomplish anything. He had even been at that stage once. But if he didn't say something like that, Aomine would continue being depressed and confused, and the mental state of his friend definitely took higher priority than the feelings of any stranger.

"I guess you're right... perhaps I was thinking too much." Aomine said, amazed by Kuroko's ability to say things so directly. "Thanks."

"It's nothing."

"I can't imagine what it's like to stop loving basketball though."

"Of course not, you are a basketball idiot after all." Kuroko pointed out with a small smile.

"Hey!" Aomine shouted, and he was back to his usual self.

"I'm going this way." Kuroko stated, ignoring Aomine's protest entirely.

"Huh? We're already here?" Aomine asked. He had been so preoccupied that he had not noticed how far they had walked. "Ah, bye then." Aomine said.

"See you tomorrow." Kuroko said, then turned into the path that was to be his way home.

When Kuroko finally disappeared out of sight, Aomine also continued on his way home, and inevitably returned to the conversation with Kuroko earlier.

_I can't imagine what it's like to stop loving basketball though._

He had said this, but in a small corner of his mind, he knew that it wasn't true. Because as he found out not long ago, it wasn't just constantly losing that could make one lose passion for a sport he loved. For someone who loved a good challenge like him, constantly winning was starting to take a toll on his mental state.

No one bothered to challenge him anymore, and he had been allowed to run down the court without any obstacles at all. Every time he saw those dead looks on his opponents' faces which said, 'We can't stop him anyway, why bother', it was like a part of his soul had died. The excitement he had felt before was fading.

Basketball was getting boring for him.

And that thought scared him.

* * *

"Satsuki, why isn't Daiki here yet?"

"I'm not too sure, Akashi-kun. I tried calling him earlier but he didn't pick up. I'll try again." Momoi answered Akashi even as she fiddled with her cellphone, finding the number of her childhood friend. Indeed, given how enthusiastic Aomine is about basketball, he wouldn't skip practice for no apparent reason. She found his number quickly and put her phone to her ear, listening to the rings. Then,

"Satsuki, what is it?"

"Dai-chan!" She nearly shouted, reverting to her usual way of addressing Aomine out of panic. "Do you know what time it is now? Why aren't you at practice?"

"Oh... I just don't feel like it today..."

"Huh?! Do you realise that it's almost the preliminaries for the Inter Middle!" Momoi shouted. It wasn't Aomine's normal behaviour at all.

_Don't tell me..._

"Dai-chan, are you sick?" Momoi asked in concern.

"What? If you put it that way, I guess so."

"Why didn't you tell me if you're sick, geez..." Momoi scolded, even as she felt relieved. So he had been sick, it wasn't as if he skipped practice for no reason. Given his recent behaviour, she had really been afraid that he would do just that. Having been by his side nearly all her life, she could tell.

Aomine didn't love basketball as much as he used to.

"Why do I have to report everything to you? It's not as if you're my mom."

Momoi flared up.

"What?! I'm just concerned about you! At least tell someone you're not coming so we don't have to wonder where you went, idiot! Sheesh!" Then she ended the call.

"So what happened?"

It took Momoi all her will not to jump in surprise at the question. She had totally forgotten that Akashi was still standing there.

"Ah...it seems like he's sick."

"Is that so? I will go inform the coach then." Akashi said before walking to where the coach was.

Practice that day went on as usual, with people asking after Aomine and wishing him a speedy recovery when they found he was sick. Everyone believed he will be back the next day, enthusiastic as usual.

However, when it was time for club practice the next day, there was no sign of the dark skinned boy.

* * *

"Well?"

"Well what?" Aomine asked his vice-captain, even as he didn't get up from the place where he had been lounging, which was the school roof.

"You've haven't been coming to club practice, explain." Midorima said in as calm a tone as possible. It won't help if he got angry here. Aomine was practically immune to such outbursts.

"I just don't feel like it, that's all."

"You don't...feel like it?" Midorima repeated, partly in disbelief, partly in anger. Their ace player had been absent from practice for a whole week now, just because he didn't have the mood to come? That was not the answer he was expecting, not after all that effort he had to spend to track Aomine down after Akashi declined to do so, saying that it was fine as long as he continued to play in matches. But seeing him in this kind of state, it was totally possible that the power forward might not even feel like playing anymore, match or not.

"Do you know how close we are to the preliminaries, if you stop coming for practice, it's highly possible that you might not be able to participate at all."

"That's impossible. No one else in the club is good enough to replace me."

"Hmph, if you keep slacking off, there will be someone soon enough."

"As if...even Kise hasn't come close to reaching my level, and he's the fastest learner in the club. You might as well stop with the empty threats already."

Midorima sighed in frustration. How can Aomine be so gullible such that he could be tricked into thinking that Kuroko needed nothing but vanilla milkshake, yet be so perceptive once it came to basketball? Most importantly, the Aomine now was so different from the basketball loving person from a few months ago that honestly, Midorima no longer had any idea how to deal with him. He did have the option of bodily dragging Aomine to practice, but it would be too difficult and wouldn't change anything about the current situation.

"Even if you decided not to come for practice, I expect to see you at the matches." Midorima finally said.

"Yeah sure...I know you guys need me." Came the lazy reply. Midorima resisted the urge to throw his lucky item, which happened to be a tennis ball, at his club mate. Doing so would probably spoil his luck for the day. So he stalked off before he couldn't control his actions and really threw the ball.

In his anger, he failed to notice a person standing behind the open rooftop door, listening to everything that had occurred.

* * *

It was a weekend, but all the regulars still had practice since the preliminaries were next week. As all of them were busy fine tuning their skills or playing against one another, a person they had not seen in a while walked through the gym doors.

"Aomine-cchi!" Kise shouted, his voice filled with surprise as he ran up his fellow starter.

"Oh hey." Aomine replied. Unlike Kise, he didn't sound enthusiastic at all.

"Where have you been this past week?" Kise asked. Like most of the members, he didn't know the reason behind Aomine's absence.

"I've been around..."

"Around?" Kise repeated, confused by the vague answer.

"Yeah."

Sensing that it was something that Aomine did not want to talk about, Kise let the topic drop. "Never mind, at least you're here now! Have a match with me!" Kise said as he dragged Aomine by the arm.

_By the way Kise's acting, it's as if he afraid that Aomine would disappear any moment. _

Midorima thought as he watched the pair.

"I see Daiki decided to come back just before the preliminaries. Better late than never." Akashi commented from Midorima's left side.

Midorima turned towards Akashi, a suspicious look on his face.

"You had something to do with that, right?" Midorima asked. Even though Akashi had verbally refused to find and talk to Aomine when he asked, Midorima didn't eliminate the possibility that their captain could have interfered in the end.

"What makes you think that I played a part in this?"

Midorima almost sighed. Akashi was being intentionally vague and indirect again, and he was in no mood to play along.

"Since he's here, we can discuss our strategies now. I'll go get everyone." Midorima said, coming up with a reason to excuse himself and go about his vice-captain duties.

With Midorima gone, Akashi was finally left to his own thoughts.

_It worked so far. Now... I wonder how long this can last._

* * *

The Inter Middle preliminaries, the beginning of another journey where the dreams of young minds are forged...and broken.

The winner is Teiko Middle School! As expected of the Generation of Miracles! They have soared through the preliminaries easily and have qualified for the Inter Middle Tournament! Stay tuned for tomorrow, where the school for the final spot will be decided. The Inter High Preliminaries are starting tomorrow as well, so those who are interested are welcome to watch the matches at the following locations…

"Here."

"Thank you." Kuroko said as he took the popsicle. As he carefully peeled the packaging away, Aomine had already started eating his, taking a big bite out of it. They had come to the convenience store to get themselves a threat as a celebration for qualifying for the Inter Middle, but rather than feeling happy about the qualification, Kuroko was worried about something else.

"Aomine-kun, aren't you skipping your practices a little too much lately?"

Aomine paused in the middle of his next bite, then pulled the popsicle out his mouth to speak,

"It's okay, if I practice, I'll just become stronger."

That caught Kuroko's attention. Aomine had always wanted to improve his skills at basketball, so why was he avoiding it now?

"The more effort I put in the game, the more boring it becomes! Besides, I'm sure the one I wished to face against doesn't exist."

With those two sentences, Kuroko instantly knew what was wrong. Just like their opponents had lost their interest in basketball because they couldn't match up to Teikou's strength, Aomine was losing interest because he was too strong compared to his opponents and teammates. He no longer found basketball fun because he no longer found it challenging.

"Basketball's becoming a child's play for me. From now on I'll just do the bare minimum to make the team win."

And that was as much as Kuroko's patience could tolerate.

"You can't do this!" Kuroko said angrily as he dropped his popsicle down Aomine's back.

Aomine's reaction was instantaneous,

"Uhaaargh! You put your popsicle down my back?!" It would have been funny under normal circumstances, but Kuroko wasn't in any mood to feel amused.

"Trying to catch up with everyone else took all my effort, so I know I'll never walk in your shoes. But no matter how far above you are, if we were to be your opponent, I rather you not slack off or go easy on us."

Aomine stared in Kuroko in awe. Were there really people who thought that way? But if he thought about it carefully, if someone stronger than him decided to go easy on him, he would be pretty pissed off, thinking that he was being looked down upon. Perhaps his opponents were like that too.

"Besides, I'm sure someone stronger than Aomine-kun will appear!" Kuroko declared.

"…Haha you!" Aomine finally said as he chuckled at Kuroko's declaration. Kuroko could really say some amazing things when he wanted to make his point, like that time when he ended up arguing with Murasakibara over things the larger player had said about their fellow club member who had just entered the first string.

_Perhaps I should keep my faith a little longer._

"I hope so." Aomine finally said.

"Me too." Kuroko wholeheartedly agreed.

* * *

But no matter how hard Aomine tried to believe, it was just too impossible for his already fragile soul.

_What's up with them, they've just given up trying to win!_

Even if he tried his best by himself, he was still alone in the end. No one could match him anymore, and that was the truth.

_If no one wants to challenge me anymore, then tell me what's the joy in playing!_

"Kuroko," Aomine called as he jogged slowly back to their side of the court, catching the other boy's attention,

"I think what you said is right, but I…can't go on anymore. Now I noticed…the rival I kept looking for…I'll never find him!"

_Everywhere I look, they're just weaklings. No one can ever match me!_

"The only one who can beat me…is me!"

That day, the two friends never bumped fists like they would always do. An irreparable rift had formed.

It was the beginning of a downward spiral.

* * *

**pika318: **Yes, I ended it on a depressing note. This marks the beginning of the Fall arc, so it might just get more depressing from now on if I can manage it. Since this more or less marks the halfway point in the story, I would like to thank the people who have followed my story so far and I hope you would be able to stick with me to the end.


	9. Injury

**pika318: **So I'm back with chapter 9! The Fall arc of the story is upon us and I would expect it to spiral downwards very quickly, so this story would end very soon, probably in 2-4 more chapters by my estimate. Also, whatever Fujimaki is drawing in the current Teikou arc would probably have not much effect on how my story progresses from now on, so if there are any discrepancies with the manga, it's intentional.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 9:** Injury

* * *

It was in the last few weeks of the Summer holidays, the time where everyone was expected to prepare for the Nationals, when Akashi first caught Kuroko trying to learn how to shoot in the empty the string gym.

"What are you doing?" Akashi asked with a displeased frown.

Kuroko paused in the middle of throwing the ball when he heard Akashi's question. For a while, he looked like a child who was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. Then, turning to face Akashi, he answered,

"I'm learning how to shoot. I want to be more useful to the team."

"If you want to be useful to the team, you should be perfecting your passing technique, not learning how to shoot."

"I don't think polishing my passing technique is the way. As it is, the others aren't even passing to me anymore when in the recent practice matches." Kuroko countered, but Akashi was unmoved.

"If you improve your passing techniques, I'm sure they will."

"No they will not. It's not an issue of whether I am good at passing or not. They're not passing to me anymore because I can't score, so they will rather rush forward on their own. Which is why I'm..."

"We don't need any more offensive power, Tetsuya. You are the shadow of the team, and you should just do your part as that." Akashi said, interrupting Kuroko.

Kuroko started growing impatient at Akashi's continued refusal to let him do what he thought was right. Was his captain really so blind to the current state of the team?

"What team? Akashi-kun, the team is falling apart. Aomine-kun hasn't been coming to practice ever since the Inter-middle. Even if he did, it would be because you made him come. Without Aomine-kun around, Kise-kun is already becoming more arrogant since there's no one to challenge him, and he's already doing many things on his own, neglecting to work with the rest of the team. Midorima-kun has just about washed his hands off handling the two of them and Murasakibara-kun since everything he tries doesn't work. You're handling every single matter in the club now, and if this goes on, there will be…"

I don't need you to tell me this, Tetsuya. Akashi snapped, a dangerous tone in his voice. A tense silence passed between them.

"I want to help you, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said, almost pleading.

"You're not helping me by doing this, Tetsuya. What happens after you learn how to shoot well? Do you plan to play in the court without having to depend on the others to score? Then, in the end, everyone will be depending on their own abilities, then where does that leave the team?" Akashi said, agitation clear in his voice.

"I won't do anything like that." Kuroko answered.

"Can you guarantee it? Look at how self-centered the others have become once they improved. Are you able to promise me you won't turn out like that?"

At that moment, Kuroko didn't know how to answer at all. Was he able to promise that he would not turn out like the rest of the starters? Even Aomine, who loved basketball more than anything else in the world, had completely lost his interest in the sport. How can he be able to guarantee that he wasn't going to turn out like the rest in the future when he couldn't even predict what might happen?

Akashi waited for Kuroko's answer, and when he received none, he turned around, putting his hand on the gym door.

"For the sake of the team, it's best you forget about this idea." Akashi said, and left. The sound of the gym door opening and closing echoed through the mostly empty gym, the hollowness of the sound mirroring the exactly what Kuroko felt.

* * *

It was the beginning of the summer holidays when Kuroko received a message from his friend.

_Hey! My school finally made it into the Nationals and I heard Teikou qualified too. As expected from the school which dominated the Nationals last year. It's so amazing that you're part of that team. My team really wants to win the Nationals since we couldn't qualify last year, so we're practicing really hard even though it's only the beginning of summer. It's really tough but I'm looking forward to finally pitting my skills against yours, so practice hard too okay?_

At first, Kuroko had felt happy for his friend, who finally had the chance to participate in the Nationals. He had sounded so depressed last year when his school couldn't qualify, so seeing him so excited now was a really good thing. However, feelings of guilt and shame slowly set in. How was he able to face his friend in his current state?

In the end, he was the sixth man of the team, the player sent onto the court when the situation became tough to turn the tides of the game. During the Inter-Middle, the starting players of Teikou Middle School had been so unchallenged that he got called onto the court less and less, and even when he was able to play, the rest did not pass to him as much as they used to. If this trend continued on, it was entirely possible that his chances of playing during the Nationals would be next to none.

It was their first and last chance to play against one another in Middle School. He did not want to disappoint his friend by not playing in the match.

_If I learn how to shoot, then I'll be allowed to play even if the team was doing well in a match._

Kuroko thought. At first, he almost laughed at his own idea. After all, he had been trying to shoot since he started learning basketball, with dismal results. To make his chances worse, he had not practiced his shooting since he acquired his current Misdirection playing style. Any meager improvement he had would have been lost by now.

But given his current circumstances, he refused to give up without even trying. There were still a few months until the Nationals, and since it was the Summer Holidays, he could afford to practice every day, either at the public basketball court or at the school gym when club activities start. He needed to improve no matter what.

Therefore, when Akashi found out about his secret training two months later and strongly discouraged him from doing so, Kuroko knew that if he wanted to continue, he could no longer practice at the school gym. Of course, he knew that disobeying Akashi will have negative consequences, but right now, his promise to his friend was more important, along with his desire to contribute more to the team. So when club practices ended, and time allowed it, he would head to the public basketball courts instead.

And so, with this plan in mind, he continued his secret training.

* * *

"I knew you'll be here."

A few weeks before the Nationals, Kuroko's training was discovered by Akashi once more.

"Do you think I wouldn't suspect that you were up to something if you haven't stayed back for practice for the past few weeks like you usually do?"

"How did you know I'll be here?" Kuroko asked.

"Where else would you go? A hard worker like you wouldn't skip extra practice for no reason, so the only conclusion I can come up with is that you're doing your own training, and the only public basketball court near your house is here. If you didn't want me to find out, then you're being too careless." Akashi explained.

There was a tense silence between them. Kuroko knew Akashi was waiting for an explanation, but he refused to give any. After all, he had already explained his reasons during their previous encounter.

"How long do you plan to disobey me, Tetsuya?" Akashi was angry now, and Kuroko knew that. But he was determined to stand his ground no matter what.

"I have already told you…" Akashi said, fully intending to tell Kuroko off, but he was soon interrupted.

"Hey...so a young master like you actually comes to these kind of places."

Both Kuroko and Akashi turned towards the source of the voice and Akashi frowned at the familiar face.

"Haizaki, what are you doing here?" Akashi asked, displeasure in his voice.

"Hmm? I was just passing by, ya know. Can't fault a guy for that." Haizaki said, though his words were a little slurred.

"You've been drinking." Akashi stated, obviously displeased.

"And what's wrong with that?" Haizaki walked up to Akashi as he continued to speak. "But you know, just seeing you know seriously...pisses me off!"

The instant Haizaki said that, he drew something out of his pocket. Seeing the glint, Akashi turned his body, barely dodging the small knife that came towards his face. It grazed his cheek, causing a shallow cut. He jumped back, putting some distance between himself and his attacker. But despite Haizaki's drunken state, he recovered quickly, and closed the distance between them, and managed to land a kick on Akashi's midsection. Akashi was thrown back, and hit the fenced perimeter of the court.

"You're always acting so high and mighty, but you're actually this weak? Man...I should have beaten you up a lot earlier." Haizaki said in a bored tone as he strolled up to Akashi, who was struggling to stay upright. Then, he noticed something flying towards him from the corner of his eye. He raised a hand to catch it, stopping it in its tracks.

It was a basketball.

"Stay away from Akashi-kun."

Haizaki did not say anything and threw the basketball back in Kuroko's direction, aiming straight for his face. Kuroko managed to deflect it because of his training, but at the next moment, Haizaki was already in front of him, having used the time when Kuroko was distracted to approach him. The next thing Kuroko knew, he was sent tumbling across the court.

"A weakling like you should know better than to order me around. In fact, that a weak person like you could stay in the club while I was kicked out really pisses me off too. I guess I could get rid of you too, or at least make sure you can't play in the Nationals..."

Haizaki made to move towards Kuroko, but a sudden pain in his right hand caused him to drop his knife. Then, he was slammed in his side, causing him to step away from his dropped weapon.

As he recovered, Akashi was standing in front of him, blocking his path to Kuroko. In the silence of the night, the sound of a basketball bouncing away was heard.

"I won't let you hurt him." Akashi said.

"Che, a bunch of weaklings protecting each other makes me sick. In the end, they could try as hard as they want, but end up losing anyway. But since you're so eager to get hurt, I'll fulfill your wish!"

Akashi may be strong when it came to basketball, but in the end, he was no fighter, and was not used to the underhanded tactics that Haizaki used. He was barely dodging the blows Haizaki threw at him, and the attacks he had no choice but to block took him all his strength and would definitely leave a bruise later.

All it took was one opening, and Haizaki took the chance. He aimed a right hook straight at Akashi's head.

Akashi, already tiring, wasn't able to avoid the blow completely and he was knocked onto the ground. Disoriented, it took Akashi all his effort to stay conscious.

"Akashi-kun!" Kuroko shouted, frantic. He was ready to run to Akashi's aid when Haizaki's voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do anything if I were you." As if to prove his point, he cruelly aimed a kick at Akashi's stomach, causing the barely conscious boy to gasp in pain.

"Stop it!" Kuroko shouted, almost pleading now.

"I don't think you're in any position to command me now, shrimp." He was about to hit Akashi again when,

"Hey you! What are you doing?"

Haizaki turned at the voice and saw that it was the police on night patrol.

"Damn!" Haizaki cursed. Then he ran even as the police started yelling at him to stop.

One of the policemen seemed to want to give chase when he was stopped by his partner.

"We have an injured person here! Call the ambulance!"

* * *

As the coach of Teikou Basketball Club, he had made it a point to stay calm and focused no matter what situation he faced so he would be able to devise a solution in the quickest way possible. However, at this moment, he had to admit that he was a little...stressed out.

"His most serious injury is the injury to his left eye due to the blow he received to the side of his head. He won't go blind, but when it heals, his vision will most likely be slightly affected."

"How long will his eye take to heal?"

"It varies for different people, but I would say at least one month."

"One month?" He asked. The Nationals will start in one week! Do they have to play without their Captain?

The doctor detected his worried tone and added, "I didn't mean he has to stay here for one month though. Judging by his injuries, he would have to stay here for one week at most, just to make sure that is no damage to his head."

"I see." He replied. So Akashi might be able to make it for the Nationals, though he wouldn't be able to play because of his eye. But even if he couldn't play, just having him at the match and giving advice might be good enough. That was all he needed to know.

"If that is all, I'll take my leave." He said to the doctor.

"Yes, that's all for now." The doctor replied.

As he stood up and placed his hand on the door, the doctor suddenly spoke up.

"I just remembered something, do you have the contact details of his parents? His medical records don't contain any contact details, so we haven't informed his family members. When we asked, he gave us your number instead."

"No, I don't have them either."

"If you're going to see him now, can you do us a favour and ask him about it? He might tell you since you're his teacher. Someone in his family should know about this after all."

"I'll do something about it." He replied, as he turned the doorknob.

"Thank you very much."

After he left the doctor's office, he headed straight for the ward of his student, determined to find out what had happened.

When Kuroko entered the room, the first thing he noticed was the bandages around Akashi's head, followed by the eyepatch over his left eye. Despite how bad the injuries looked, Akashi was alert, and turned to face the door as Kuroko entered.

Kuroko walked up to the bed, and sat down on the chair beside it.

"Are you feeling better now?" He asked.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt as much anymore. How about you?" Akashi replied, adding a question of his own.

"Only some bruises, there's nothing serious."

"That's good."

There was a short pause, then Kuroko said,

"I'm sorry."

Akashi saw the guilt on Kuroko's face, but he didn't say anything in reply to the apology. Nothing he said now would help.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Akashi said.

The person who entered was their coach, looking as stern as ever. He walked up to the foot of the bed and asked,

"What happened?"

"We met up with Haizaki. He thought it was a good chance for revenge, apparently." Akashi replied.

The coach frowned. Akashi continued to speak,

"If possible, please keep Haizaki's involvement in this a secret. If you have to give a reason, tell them it was an attack by a passing gang member. I don't want to distract them from the Nationals any more than this."

"I understand." The coach replied. He agreed that the other club members would definitely be affected enough by the fact that their Captain was in hospital. There was no need to make the situation worse by telling them that the culprit was someone they knew.

"That applies to you too, Tetsuya."

Kuroko nodded.

"The doctor wants to contact your parents, so she asked me if I had them." The coach said, moving on to his next reason for coming.

"What did you tell her?"

"I said I didn't have them, of course. She asked me to get it from you, but I'm just going to tell her I failed."

"I see. Thank you."

"Still, as much as you want to keep it a secret, how long can you manage it, seeing that you'll be here for a whole week. Your family will know if don't go back home during this time." The coach stated.

"My father is overseas right now, and he won't be back for the next two weeks. I've already told the servants, and they know how to keep their secrets."

"Can't you just tell him you got attacked by a gang member? He won't suspect that you're playing basketball just from that."

"I rather not take the risk. You understand, don't you? I won't be able to play anymore if he finds out."

"Fine." The coach finally conceded. Akashi turned to Kuroko then,

"You should be going home too. It's late."

Kuroko and the coach took it as their signal to leave.

"Take care of yourself." The coach said, and left the room.

Kuroko stood up to leave as well, then Akashi said,

"Don't tell my mother about this. I don't want her to worry."

Kuroko sighed, and agreed. "Okay. Take care."

"You too." Akashi said. Then Kuroko left, making his way home.

* * *

The next evening, the other members of Teikou Basketball Club, specifically the starters, plus Kuroko and Momoi, came to visit Akashi. Seeing the looks on their faces, he wondered how many were here by their own choosing, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. There was no point thinking about this now.

"Akashi-kun, how are you?" Momoi was the one who spoke first, looking very concerned.

_The bandages around my head and eye must have made my injuries look more serious than they felt._

"It's not as bad as it looks, Satsuki. It doesn't hurt that much." Akashi answered, assuring her that he was fine.

"Is it true that you might miss the Nationals? When the coach said that you have to stay I'm the hospital for a week, the whole club was in a panic." Kise asked.

"It's only for one week. I will make it in time for the Nationals, though I doubt I would be able to play often, if at all. With my eye like this, the coach will not allow it." Akashi answered, and everyone could hear the regret in his voice.

"Of all times you could get hurt, why did it have to be now?"

"Midorin!" Momoi chided, mortified at how insensitive he could be, but Akashi only smiled, knowing very well it was Midorima's way of expressing his concern.

"Which is why I'm leaving the club to you while I'm here, Shintarou."

"Seriously... Midorima grumbled. But Akashi knew that meant 'yes'"

"I expect the rest of you to practice hard too. This is the last tournament before we graduate." Akashi said, directing his gaze to a certain power forward. Aomine met his gaze and turned away with a 'Che'.

Sensing the tension, Momoi piped in,

"I'll make sure they practice!" She said and turned to Kuroko, "Right Tetsu-kun?"

"Right." Kuroko agreed, simply because it was the most appropriate thing to say at that time.

"I'm counting on all of you then." Akashi said.

* * *

**pika318: **And that's all for Chapter 9! As improbable as it might be, I've always thought that Haizaki would be the cause of Akashi's eye injury when Fujimaki revealed that the reason Haizaki left the club was because Akashi "kicked" him out. The part about the family in the hospital scene wrote itself, I wasn't even planning it at first, but I hope it's acceptable for all of you. For those who need a refresher about the family, please refer to Chapter 5, Chapter 7 and the one shot, Moving On. The next chapter will be about the Nationals (and the heartbreak). If it feels as if I'm rushing, it's because I am. I'm feeling this pressure to finish this fic before Fujimaki finishes the Teikou arc.


	10. Nationals

**pika318: **I realised this a long time ago, but it's really difficult to write multi-chapter stories. It's like you have a few scenes planned out, but all the linking scenes to tie all these scenes together into a coherent chapter is so hard. No wonder I like writing one shots so much better haha. As I said before, this chapter will be covering the Nationals.

**Disclaimer: **Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

* * *

**Chapter 10: **Nationals

* * *

"Disrupting practice? I don't see how taking it easy after the official club hours will disrupt practice. If anything, your dumb lucky items are more likely to do that." Aomine retorted in response to another one of Midorima's lectures.

"What did you just say…"

"Didn't you hear it the first time? I said your lucky items are…"

"I didn't mean that literally, you idiot!"

"Huh?!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Momoi shouted helplessly as she ran up to try and stop yet another argument which erupted amongst the starting members.

As she was doing so, the other club members started to whisper amongst themselves.

"It was already quite bad, but now that the Captain's not here, it really gotten out of hand now."

"Hey, do you think we'll be alright for the Nationals?"

"I really don't know. Where is the coach anyway? If he's here, he would be able to settle it quite quickly."

"Didn't he go to settle some paperwork? Besides, it's after club hours, he doesn't even have to be here since we're supposed to be practicing on our own."

"Man, we're really doomed, aren't we?"

"I wish the Captain will come back soon."

Unlike the tense and uneasy atmosphere in the first string gym, the third gym was comparatively quiet. The only sounds which could be heard were the bouncing of one basketball as well as the squeaking of one pair of sneakers. The sounds were rhythmic and routine, as if the person practicing there was repeating the same movements over and over again. The only sound that was missing was the swishing of the basketball net as the ball enters the basket.

"Sigh…"

Kuroko let out yet another sigh as the basketball failed to make it into the basket once again. After months of practice, he still made no progress, and it was already less than one week to the Nationals. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no way he could make it in time now.

_I'm not going to say that you can do it if you don't give up. But if you do give up, there'll be nothing left._

Kuroko paused as familiar words entered his mind then. Many times before, Aomine's words were his driving force, the force which spurred him to go on when he felt like throwing in the towel. Even now, he wanted to believe in those words, but it was increasingly getting difficult to do so. Every time he saw how Aomine acted now, he wondered if the words he said before still held any meaning.

_See? You could do it if you tried. Well done._

_Huh? Effort? Who needs anything like that?_

Kuroko shook his head to rid himself of the distractions. There was no use thinking about it now. He couldn't turn back the clock, so all he can do now in the little time he had left is to move forward as much as he could.

Once again, the rhythmic sounds continued, late into the night.

* * *

All too soon, the rest of the week passed, and the Nationals was upon them.

"And Teikou Middle School advances to the Semi-Finals! The Generation of Miracles are as amazing as expected!"

"Damn it! I can't believe they're this strong even if their Captain isn't playing!"

Akashi pretended not to hear that comment from their opponents even as he breathed out slowly. Being unable to play so far, the only thing he could do now was to observe the match and change their tactics when he had to.

He hated to admit it to himself, but it was getting increasingly difficult to do even that.

Logically, given the strength of the current team, he should have an easy time doing so since the opponents would be unable to counter most strategies used against them. But the biggest problem lay not in the opponents, but in his own teammates. In the week he had stayed in hospital, the delicate control he held over the club seemed to be crumbling bit by bit, especially amongst the starters. Even now, it was difficult to get them to even follow any tactics given to them, they would seem to stick to the plan at first, but it will eventually fall apart as all of them started to follow their own ideas, which sometimes forced the coach to call a time out just to reprimand them.

_It's only our overwhelming strength that's preventing us from losing points and losing the match._

He must have sighed, because Momoi was next to him in an instant.

"Akashi-kun, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Is that so? You look tired… maybe it's not a good idea to push yourself so hard after leaving the hospital, especially since you are still recovering…" Momoi said in concern as she glanced at the bandage still covering Akashi's left eye.

"It's just your imagination. You should go see if the others need anything." He said, dismissing her.

"Alright…" Momoi replied, though her eyes were still filled with concern. Slowly, she turned away, directing her attention to the other members in the team.

Once Akashi made sure Momoi was kept busy, he turned to his left, only to catch the eyes of the coach. The coach didn't say anything, but tilted his head to a certain direction, an action which clearly meant "I need to talk to you, someplace else."

Standing up, Akashi walked up to the coach, and together, they went to the corridor, out of earshot of the other team members preparing to head back to their locker room in the opposite direction.

"What do you think of the match today?" The coach asked, once he was sure his surroundings were clear.

Akashi didn't answer immediately, trying to formulate a proper answer in his mind.

"It wasn't satisfactory, was it? I can tell by the look on your face." The coach added.

"Yes. We may have won, but there were mistakes made which could have been avoided, if they had been followed the game plans better." Akashi said.

"Which is why I'm proposing this. In order to avoid such mistakes in future, I'm putting you as one of the players tomorrow."

"What?" Akashi said, clearly surprised. After all, the coach had already expressed his reluctance in letting Akashi play with his eye injury.

"As for the reason, it's because you would have more control over them when you're in the court compared to on the bench. They'll be more attuned to listen to you that way. Besides, with you in this manner, perhaps the others will naturally become more considerate and not act on their own so as not to strain you."

Akashi almost laughed. Already, he could imagine the public's reaction to this action. Having a clearly injured person play was outrageous. Some people might even think it was an act of desperateness, or cruelty.

"You have been practicing, haven't you?"

"Of course." Injured eye or not, he couldn't just stay still when everyone was working hard. Shooting might still be difficult, but he could already pass and catch the basketball with hardly any mistakes.

"Then that's settled. I will inform the others later. Let's go back." The coach replied.

Akashi nodded and followed behind the coach, not even bothering to hide the small smile on his face.

When the others found out later, there were exclamations of surprise as well as protests. Some felt that the coach was being too much, asking an injured person to play.

"Are you questioning my judgement?" The coach said in response to the protests.

There was silence, no one dared to openly oppose the coach in this manner. Akashi decided this was the right time to speak.

"The coach and I have agreed this was the best for the team. If I am somehow unable to perform well tomorrow, the coach will substitute me with another player, but until then, I hope that everyone will be able to support me, as well as each other. Understand?"

Slowly, murmurs of agreement were heard. Akashi turned to his fellow starters. They either looked suspicious, worried or merely unconcerned.

But that didn't matter. Whether they liked it or not, he was going to make sure they listened tomorrow.

* * *

"Kuroko-cchi? Do you know that person?" Kise asked.

Kuroko turned to the direction which Kise indicated. Sure enough, there was someone on the other side of the court waving in their direction, generating much discussion on both sides.

"Ah, he's a friend." Kuroko said as he waved back shyly, which caused the other person to stop his waving, giving him a thumbs up and a mouthed 'Let's have a good match.'

"Oh… is that so? You're not going to expect us to go easy on them because of that right?"

"Of course not. We'll both play our best today." Kuroko answered.

Soon, at the referee's signal, the starting players from both teams went to line up on the court. Naturally, there were a lot of murmurs and exclamations from the audience when Akashi entered the court. The referee even went to the coach to confirm his decision. However, it was settled quickly and the announcer gently reminded the audience not to get too rowdy in case they disturbed the players too much.

"Let's have a good match!" Both teams shouted.

At the referee's whistle, the game started.

* * *

One hour later, it was over. It had been a close match at first, with the opponents unity putting pressure on the starting players of Teikou Middle School, but with Akashi's iron control, Teikou Middle School had emerged as the victor in the end, with their usual large point gap.

Back in the locker room, Kuroko was packing his belongings when he felt his phone vibrate. Taking it out and opening it, he found a message from his friend.

_Msg received: It's been a long time since we've seen each other, or had a good chat. Will you be able to meet me outside? I'm at the south end of the Stadium, around Gate D._

_Re: Okay. I'll see you there._

Snapping his phone shut, Kuroko picked up his things and found Akashi, who was near the door.

"I'm going to meet a friend, so I'll be going back on my own."

"I see. I'll inform the coach about it. Go have your talk." Akashi said. After what happened before the match, he clearly knew which friend Kuroko was talking about.

"Thank you." Kuroko said, and he left the locker room, barely noticed by anyone.

After that, Kuroko made his way to the agreed location. As the gate was the opposite direction from the nearest train station, not many people were in the vicinity. It wasn't long before he saw a figure with the familiar mop of black hair leaning at the railing, staring forward, looking at nothing in particular.

"It's been a while." Kuroko said, getting his friend's attention.

"Hey! You're here. Glad to see that you're looking well." His friend said cheerfully, though Kuroko noticed that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It wasn't strange, considering what happened earlier.

"Are you alright?" Kuroko asked, out of concern for his friend.

The smile on his friend's face fell slightly, but the cheerful tone in his voice was still there when he answered,

"I wouldn't say that I'm totally fine. Of course I'm a little disheartened after the loss. But considering that this is the first time in a while that my school qualified for the Nationals, it's great that we were still able to make it to the semi-finals. And the coach wasn't too harsh on us since Teikou Middle School is a strong school, so I guess everything is okay for now."

"I see." Kuroko said.

His friend turned to him then, saying, still in that cheerful tone,

"What? Did you think I was so weak that I'll be upset and crying over the loss? "

"No, it's nothing like that…" Kuroko answered, flustered that his friend would think of him in that manner.

His friend laughed. "I was just joking, Kuroko. You don't have to take it so seriously. That point about you really hasn't changed one bit."

"Is that so…?" Kuroko asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Yep!" His friend confirmed energetically.

It was painful to watch. From his keen observation, Kuroko could instantly tell that his friend was simply putting up a strong front. He had tried to play along as much as he could, but the longer it went on, the harder it was to bear the pain.

"Are you sure you're really alright?" Kuroko asked again.

"Geez! Didn't I say I am fine already?" His friend replied, sounding a little annoyed, though there was still a smile on his face. Then his face turned serious, and he said,

"If there's anything I'm upset about, it would be the poor way your team mates are treating you."

Kuroko frowned a little at his friend's words.

"I do not understand what you mean."

"You should have noticed, right? The way your team mates were acting during the match." His friend prompted.

Kuroko ran his mind through the match earlier, but could not remember anything significant that his friend could have seen for him to act in this manner. During the match, everyone was acting as usual, no one actually said anything harsh to him, or did anything to hurt him physically.

"They were acting as usual. I do not know what you have seen, but they do not treat me poorly." Kuroko said, trying to clear the misunderstanding that his friend seemed to have formed.

"As usual? You're telling me that's the way they usually act?" His friend said, his voice containing a hint of disbelief.

"Yes." Kuroko answered, his frown deepening just a bit.

His friend looked at Kuroko a moment longer, and turned to face forward, his head slightly bowed like he was deep in thought. The silence stretched on, leaving Kuroko more and more confused as time passed.

"Is there anything wrong?" Kuroko finally asked.

His friend didn't react immediately, but slowly, he turned to face Kuroko again, and with the serious look still on his face, he asked,

"Kuroko, are you happy with your current team?"

Faced with the sudden question, Kuroko did not know how to answer at all. His friend continued to speak,

"To be more specific, are you happy playing basketball with your current team mates, especially those that were playing today?"

"Why are you asking this all of…" Kuroko started to ask, but he was interrupted by his friend's words.

"Just answer me, please." His friend said, pleading.

Kuroko thought back to his second year, the year where he received his regular uniform. He felt that he belonged, and they had so much fun together. At that time, he was happy he belonged to a team which made up the Generation of Miracles.

However, when all of them entered third year, something fundamental changed, everyone started getting stronger and little by little, they lost their passion for basketball, becoming more obsessed with victory. To him, the one who was left behind, the one who gradually lost their trust, he was becoming invisible once more, and it was painful to bear.

_Am I happy now? Of course not._

That was his answer.

But he could not tell his friend that.

To tell his friend this would be revealing his failures. Failing to get stronger with others, failing to keep Aomine interested in basketball, failing to learn how to shoot even with months of practice. Saying it out now would make it seem like everything was unsalvageable, like admitting defeat, and whatever was left of his pride would not allow that to happen.

"My current team is fine. I do not see what you are so upset about." Kuroko answered.

In response to his answer, his friend became more agitated.

"Can you really not see? Your current team, when they were playing, they're only thinking of themselves! They don't work together at all and worst of all, when you were playing, they didn't even acknowledge your presence! There were so many times when they could have passed to you to make for an easier play, but they didn't. It's like they are telling you that you're not needed on the team at all."

The words stung. His friend might have been criticising Aomine and the rest, but to Kuroko, it was as if his friend took a blade and stabbed him in the heart. Had his redundancy on the team increased so much that even someone who is playing against them for the first time noticed it?

"You should be speaking up to them about it, Kuroko. Basketball is a team sport. To see such an individualistic team like that being the number one team in the Middle School is really too much!"

"I think you're the one who's being too much. No matter how my team is like, we won, and that's it. You're just saying all this because you lost."

The words came out before Kuroko could stop himself. It was the result of the refusal to accept his current situation, and pride.

His friend froze, like he had just been slapped in the face. Realising what he had done, Kuroko opened his mouth, ready to apologise. But his friend spoke first,

"Oh? Is that what you really think? Well, as long as you're happy with it, then it's not my place to say anything." His tone was oddly detached.

"I…"

"I should go now, better not keep you too late since you have a match tomorrow. See ya." Saying this, his friend turned around and walked off hurriedly, giving Kuroko no chance to say anything at all. As he turned the corner, Kuroko could see his friend raising a hand to his face, wiping away the tears that had already started to flow.

But as if he had lead weights tied to his feet, he couldn't bring himself to chase after his friend. Even if he did, what could he say? Nothing he said now would be able to magically explain away the harsh words he had said earlier. And so he continued to stand there, staring at the ground.

* * *

_I'm sorry._

After pressing the "Send" button, Kuroko collapsed backwards on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. After his friend left, he wasn't able to gather up any courage to chase after his friend to apologise. After that, when he was taking the train to get back home, he had took out his phone numerous times, intending to send a message to his friend, only to put it back into his bag in the end. It was only now, when he was about to go to bed, before he followed through with his thoughts. And even then, he could only write two words.

_When did I become such a coward?_

Kuroko thought, before drifting into a restless sleep.

* * *

"It is now the half time break! To everyone who has just stepped in, you are now watching the Final round of the National Middle School Basketball tournament! Currently, Teikou Middle School is in the lead at 93-42. Would Shinkaku Middle School be able to catch up in the second half? Please continue to watch this exciting match!"

In response to the enthusiastic commentary from the announcer, Kuroko could only sigh. How exciting could a match be when everyone could see that Teikou Middle School is dominating the whole match? Planning to go outside to get some fresh air, he walked through one of the many corridors in the stadium, unnoticed by most of his teammates. Those that did simply let him go. After all, Kuroko hadn't played in the first half of the match and didn't need to rest.

When he was about to step outside, he heard someone calling behind him.

"Hey!"

At first, Kuroko continued walking, thinking that the shout was for someone else. It wasn't until he heard another shout, followed by a hand on his shoulder, did he stop in his tracks, turning around to see who called him.

It was someone he didn't recognize.

"Do I know you?" Kuroko asked. The other person, just realizing that he might have scared Kuroko, quickly pulled his hand away.

"Ah, I'm sorry. My name is Soichi. And this is Ueda. We're from Ukiyoe Middle School. I was hoping you would recognize us, but I guess it's hard since we're not wearing our uniform."

Hearing that name, Kuroko instantly made a connection. Ukiyoe Middle School was the school who played against them in the semi-finals, also the school his friend is in.

"You're friends with Manabe, right? The one he was waving to yesterday?" Ueda asked.

"…Yes." Kuroko answered, with some hesitation. After what had happened, could they still be considered friends?

"If you are his friend, then you have to help us talk Manabe out of his stupid decision!" Soichi suddenly said, his voice slightly raised, and his tone urgent.

"What do you mean?"

"Soichi, calm down. You're just going to make things more confusing." Ueda said before turning to Kuroko, saying,

"I know that you have a match going on now, but you have to hear us out. I don't know what happened after our match yesterday, but this morning, our coach suddenly received a call from Manabe, and he said that he was going to quit the club. Never mind that it was his last semester or that he only had to stay for another three months or so before we graduate to prepare for exams, he just suddenly said that he wanted to quit the club, and basketball altogether."

Kuroko widened his eyes at the news. Soichi continued, this time in a much calmer voice,

"After we found out from the coach, we tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen at all. After a while, he just stopped picking up our calls. Which is why we need your help. Manabe won't expect that we would be able to talk to you, so he probably won't ignore your call, that's what we think."

For a while, Kuroko was silent as his mind rushed to process the information he just heard. His friend had decided to quit basketball. Why? Was it because of their conversation yesterday?

_What have I done?_

After Kuroko had sent the message last night, his friend had not answered at all. Was this supposed to be his answer?

"We're… I…" Kuroko started to say, stuttering a little as he tried to find the right words. Facing him were Soichi's and Ueda's anxious faces. He could lie to them and say that he would try, but his conscious would not allow him to do so. In an attempt to protect his own pride, he had already hurt his friend. It would help no one if he told a white lie here.

"I tried contacting him yesterday, but he hasn't replied me at all."

"Oh…" Soichi said, disappointment clear on his face. Ueda spoke,

"After you finish your match, can you try to contact him again? Someone has to talk sense into him, so we need all the help we can get."

"I'll try." Kuroko said, simply out of politeness. In his heart, he already knew that he wouldn't succeed.

"Thanks, then we'll take our leave. Good luck for your match." Ueda said, before leaving, pulling Soichi with him.

Kuroko watched their retreating backs, then slowly turned back to the direction of the locker room. With the sudden revelation of his friend's decision, Kuroko felt many things, guilt, confusion, and sadness. No matter how Kuroko looked at the matter, his words have caused his friend to quit the sport which he loved so much.

_Concentrate on the second half of the match, you can worry about this later. Your duty to the team comes first._

The rational part of Kuroko's mind said. But it was difficult to follow. He had done something unforgivable to his friend. How could he just forget about it all and concentrate on the Finals now that he knew the consequences of his actions?

_Victory is the most important thing._

Once again, the coach's words surfaced in his mind. How many times had he heard that in his time in the club? It was repeated like a doctrine, instilling in them the strong thirst for victory.

How important could victory be if it cost him one of his best friends?

Slowly but surely, seeds of doubt were planted in Kuroko's heart.

Half an hour later, when the referee's whistle blew to signal the end of the match, what happened only served to increase the doubt Kuroko felt.

In the second half of the game, he hadn't been called out to play at all.

It was like they were telling him, 'You aren't needed anymore.'

If he could no longer play basketball with his friend, what was the point in continuing?

If he really wasn't needed, what was the point in staying?

If he could no longer feel happy even after they had won the Nationals, that would mean he no longer liked basketball, doesn't it?

Then there was no need to continue playing basketball, or staying in the club.

And so Kuroko disappeared, not even appearing for the closing ceremony.

* * *

**pika318: **I tried my best writing this, but it was so difficult . This was the best I can do to tidy up the thoughts in my mind while trying to think of what was the "incident" that happened during the Nationals after the manga revealed that Kuroko had a childhood friend who he did something unforgivable to. Fujimaki might prove me wrong very soon though.

Next chapter will also be the last chapter for Rise and Fall. After that I'm planning to write a two-shot where the GOM attempt to repair their friendship.


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